Kemono Friends: Cerulean Crisis (Because you are my best friend!)
by aquariistrike
Summary: On a world where the Smartphone app "Kemono Friends: Cerulean Crisis" is the biggest hit with mobage players, a big event is going to be held on celebration of the huge and still growing user base. But 7 days before the big day, no one expects what is about to happen. The following story revolves around Kaban and her friends who have to solve the mysteries behind the game.
1. Chapter 1

" _Kemono Friends: Cerulean Crisis"_ is a popular Smartphone game on Japan that every child and teenager plays. The developers, noticing the increasing popularity of the game, they decided to prepare a special, mysterious event that will be held the next week.

Our protagonist, Kaban, is waiting ready for whatever comes, or so she thinks, as her best friend Erika insists furiously pointing now and then at Kaban's phone as they walk to their morning class on school.

Erika: For the last time Kaban, you have to change her.

Kaban: Not this again Erika.

The two of them were arguing while getting inside the classroom, both with a uniform of grey jackets, black tie, white shirt and red skirts. Erika was pointing at Kaban's phone, they sit on their chairs.

Erika: How do you expect to advance on the game if you keep using Serval?

Kaban: But…

Erika: I get it, she's cute, but she's just a _balance_ type, everybody starts with Serval but we all moved onto more useful Friends.

*Erika drags her phone with tons of straps*

Erika: Look at my Fennec for example, she's really cute and strong too, I can do a lot of things with her.

*Kaban pouts and looks down at her phone without answering*

In the game, you can only have three Friends, one as a main character and other two as support, their places can change at will, but getting new Friends is a plenty difficult task and takes time, so once people get three, they stick with them for the rest of the game. Every player begins with Serval a " _balance_ " type friend that is helpful on early levels of the game but once over tutorial, most of people _"brake bonds"_ with her and search for a new Friend, since Serval stops being reliable on higher levels.

Erika: Listen here… I don't want to be your party pooper, but if you want to play together with me next week you need to find a new Friend.

Kaban: But I don't want to change Serval Eris, she's my friend! She said it!

*Erika sighs loudly and facepalms herself*

Erika: Not that story again Kaban.

"Why are you girls so loud in the morning?" A guy comes into the classroom, the only differences between his uniform and theirs is the grey pants, Erika hurries to drag him to Kaban.

Erika: King! You are the guy! You tell her to toss Serval!

King: Wait, king?

Erika: C'mon!

King: What are you talking about exactly?

*Erika exasperates and takes King's phone from his bag*

King: Hey you-

Erika: Look!

*Erika shoves King's phone on Kaban's face*

Erika: King and his Lion are the strongest on the classroom, they can take next week event themselves without a partner!

*King takes his phone back looking at Lion fixated*

King: Well, that is true but… seriously, what are you girls talking about.

Erika: She is planning to use Serval on next week event, and even if we pair up together we won't make it!

King takes a deep breath and sits on a chair in front of Kaban.

King: So? Why don't you want to replace her?

Kaban: She said she's my friend…

King: Wait, Serval did? The game talked to you…?

*Kaban nods shyly*

King: How is that even possible?

Erika: Is not.

*The girl interrupts her and Kaban gets angry*

Kaban: It is because she did!

King: Alright, alright, settle down you two.

*The boy points out at the other students watching them, the girls nod and sit on their chairs*

Kaban begins to tell she was studying for an exam last month, it was late at night and she opened the app to check on Serval, that was when she talked to her.

 _Kaban: I'm done studying Serval… do you think I will pass?_

 _Serval: I know you can! Kaban is very smart after all!_

 _Kaban: Eh?_

 _Serval: There's no way my best friend can't fail whatever an exam is!_

 _Kaban: Eh? Serval!? You're talking? You're talking to me!?_

 _Serval: Hehe…._

Erika: Like I told you, you probably were tired and dreamed that.

Kaban: But it did happen…

King: Alright…

*King gives a loud sigh just like Erika did before*

King: I understand, you have an emotional bond with her, we all get attached to our Friends sometimes, and everybody starts with Serval because she's _balance_ type, but Erika is right, you need to get stronger for next week event.

Kaban: uh…

King: Maybe if you don't want to change Serval, you can use your support?

Erika: Pff, don't even get me started on that.

King: Why, what do you have as support?

*Kaban gets even more shy, refusing to show her phone*

Erika: I'll tell him for you, her sup is Raccoon.

King: …you have to be kidding.

Kaban: But she's cute… and she's always tryong her best! Just like Serval!

*They both facepalm*

King: Look, I guess I can help you out this time.

*Erika jumps and grabs King by his grip*

Erika: Really!?

King: Y-yeah, didn't you hear? Next week event is team-play event, three to five players.

Erika: Yay! Lucky!

*the girls hi-5 with both hands giggling*

King: Why did you girls want to play the event so bad anyway?

Erika & Kaban, with sparkling eyes: The money.

King: Ah… right, the physical prizes of the event… I can't promise we get the jackpot though.

Erika: Don't sweat it! Don't sweat it! Getting one of the lower prizes still help us a lot!

King: Well, we'll talk about it later ok?

Erika: Okay!

King: Ah, one more thing.

Erika: Shoot.

King: …why are calling me "King"?

Erika: Lion… king?

King: … seriously? Then why do you call her Kaban?

Kaban: Erika no! Don't tell him!

*Kaban graps her arms around Erika and covers her mouth but Erika licks her hand and gets free*

Erika: That's because the first day she came here she brought a giant bag filled with all her books, lunch, and spare clothes.

*King turns back and coughs from laughing*

Kaban: Eeerikaaaa!

*she pulls Erika's cheeks as the other laughs*

"Would you please settle down? The classes are about to start in any minute" Another girl interrupts them, with an educated, almighty tone of voice.

Kaban: W-we are sorry Nanaha.

Erika: Oh hello there prez, are you going to the Kemono Friends event too?

Nanaha: The Kemono event? Ah, you mean that app everyone plays?

Erika: Don't tell me… you don't play it?

The whole classroom goes suddenly quiet, everyone turns around and watches Nanaha, waiting for her answer; the girl feels the pressure around her and coughs embarrassed. Erika burst on laughing.

Erika: Buahahaha! Are you for real prez!? I knew you were boring but this is too much!

King: Hey!

Nanaha: Ahem! Of course I don't play such thing, I don't have time for it with my studies! Neither should you guys invest so much time on it!

The girl says this staring back at the people on the classroom who nervously get away from her.

Erika: Boohoo! What a party pooper, you have to get some fun too prez!

Nanaha: Hum!

Erika: So much books are going to hurt your brain, I'm sure.

Nanaha: Right back at you, isn't that why you have one of the lowest scores of the classroom?

Erika: Urgh…

Kaban: Haha…

King: She got you there…

*Nanaha flips her hair with one hand*

Nanaha: Just get on your seats, class is starting.

*The bell rings as she finishes saying this*

After the first periods, the group goes to have lunch on one backyard of school, as a strategy meeting.

Erika: Well then…

*The girl says gulping down a sandwich*

Erika: We already know King's Lion and his supports Aurochs and Oryx.

Kaban: As expected the best player on class…

King: Haha… so, what do you have Erika?

Erika: Eh? Fennec.

King: What?

Erika: Didn't I say it this morning? My Friend is Fennec Fox.

*The guy scratches his head and sighs*

King: Are you telling me that after pestering Kaban all this time you only have one Friend?

Kaban: Yeah! You tell her!

Erika: Fennec is special type, she's stronger than Kaban noob picks, I'm sure of that.

King: Even so… in total we just have 6 Friends on a team-play event of almost 6 players…

Kaban: That means we would have to fight against a team of 15 Friends against 6…

The mood of the crew gets quickly gloom as they realize the odds are against them when it comes to numbers.

King: Why do we even need team-play anyway… let's check the event notice again, maybe they updated it.

The three bring out their phones and check on the event notice inside the game, without answer. Kaban quickly distracts herself by brushing Serval's hair with a comb.

Erika: I know what you're doing, say her good bye already.

The girls says this to Kaban with a serious tone voice, King does nothing but look at her with an affirmation look, it was time for her to get a new Friend. Kaban looks down and turns back to keep playing with Serval as she slowly whispers…

Kaban: I wish you could tell them you aren't useless…

Suddenly, the weather changes abruptly, the sunny day dies as clouds covers the sky, a thunder strikes close attracting all the attention and wind blows furiously, making the group cover behind a tree.

In a question of minutes, the sudden storm disappear and the sun rises again in the sky.

Kaban: W-what was that all of a sudden?

Erika screams looking at her phone and showing it to Kaban and King.

Erika: M-my Fennec, look! She's lv0!

She was right, her Fennec level, along with her user level, items and other stuff was reseted and gone. The other two scared check on their phones and notice this also happened to them, all progress gone, only their Friends at lv0 remain, and the menu options are all different now.

King: What in the world… ?

Kaban: Serval's level… Raccoon too…

Erika: All the cute accessories I bought with my monthly incomes for Fennec…

King: There's no way we will be ready for the event now…

But that wasn't all, screams coming out from the school classrooms, sounds of windows glasses breaking and chairs and tables being slammed, their phones now glowing red and white with a mechanical voice coming out from them:

"Emergency, emergency, rising apparition of Ceruleans, level of thread is 4; Emergency, emergency, rising apparition of Ceruleans, level of thread is 4"

Kaban: Is that Lucky Beast's voice!?

*She says covering her ears*

Erika: We don't have time for the game now! Something is happening on the school!

King, without saying anything rushes inside the school buildings, the girls pursue him confused.

Erika: What kind of idiot goes inside the danger on a dangerous situation!

*The girl screams the guy from behind*

The three stop cold dead in front of the cafeteria's door, jaws shaking, giving some steps back, the situation was unbelievable for them. Tons of big Ceruleans, feeding an even bigger Cerulean with the cafeteria supplements. The scene is interrumpted as a girl screams on fear in one of the corners.

Erika: Look! Nanaha is on trouble!

The girl points out the girl on the corner, one of the Ceruleans was getting closer and closer to her, Kaban runs into them holding a metallic plate and strikes away the Cerulean, the bigger monster looks at them lets out a big howl, making all the other Ceruleans run against the kids; King grabs Nanaha from the arm and Erika takes Kaban from one hand, running away from the blue swarm pursuing them.

The kids rest on one of the halls, trying to get a hold of the current situation.

Erika: Kaban, that what you did over there was crazy…

Kaban: I'm sorry, I just saw Nanaha and reacted…

Nanaha: I'm really thankful for your help, I was so scared I couldn't move…

King: You can be impressive sometimes Kaban.

Kaban: Hehe… thanks, I guess.

King: Having settled that… what is happening here?

They all look at each other with no answer.

Kaban: Those are Ceruleans with no doubt, but how…

Erika: How are they real?

As the kids keep making questions with no answers, they notice their phones have been ringing all this time, they check on it.

Erika: Lucky Beast hasn't stopped screaming uh?

Nanaha: Wait… everything was resetted-

Erika: Waaaaait just a minute right there!

*Nanaha turns vivid red her phone in hand, everyone looking at her with a grin*

Erika: You do play the game! So much for the president who always studies!

*The girl does a cough like last time*

Nanaha: A-ahem! I admit I played it… but it was months ago, I stopped playing once we started the new school period and forgot to delete the app.

The kids laugh as Nanaha keep excusing herself, but the fun was rapidly interrupted when a Cerulean break through a window and went inside the hall, making them run away again, then the Lucky Beast voice changed to a different sentence.

" _Press the 'Request Aid' button, press the 'Request Aid' button"_

Nanaha is the first to bring out her phone, while being chased, she presses the button as Lucky Beast says and with a flash, a silhouette of a person appears behind them and takes down the Cerulean with one hand.

The kids stops on their tracks and turns back, a blonde woman, with a shiny armor holding a horn shaped spear has saved them, the woman quickly takes Nanaha free hand, kneels and kisses it.

Nanaha: No way… White Rinoceros!?

Rhino: At your service Master Nanaha! I'm honestly so glad to see you again!

Erika: This is turning bonkers here…

King: Maybe we really have been playing this game too much…

Kaban quickly grabs her phone and presses the aid button too, two flashes of light appear on the floor and two more persons came out from them, the face of the girl overflows on happiness as Raccoon and Serval appears in front of her eyes.

Erika: Aw frick this is not dream, is actually happening!

*shes says holding tight on King's arm*

Serval: Kaban… Kaban!?

Raccoon: Is Kaban! It truly is Kaban!

The both of them jump over the girl to snuggle her as she sobs and laughs on happiness, Erika, still shocked, looks at her phone and it gets ready to press the button, but King stops her.

King: Wait, we need to understand what is happening on here before calling more… Friends…

*The girl pouts and nods, putting her phone back on her pocket*

Rhino: I believe there's no such time for that, they're coming! Master!

*Rhino gets in front of Nanaha staring at an empty side of the hall*

Serval: We will protect Kaban!

Raccon: I'm on that too!

Kaban: You girls…

The floor shakes, a swarm of little Ceruleans like tennis balls show up like a tidal wave, as soon as they realize they're outnumbered Rhino takes Nanaha on her arms and leaps away, Raccoon and Serval take Kaban up in arms like a bag runs with Erika and King following behind them.

The flow of monsters catches them one by one and the kids get separated from each other in different directions.

Kaban, Raccoon and Serval end on the ground floor near the gym, Kaban gets up as her Friends wipe away the little monsters left, still rolling on the floor with the palms of their hands, just like whack-a-mole.

Raccoon: I-i think… those were the last ones…

*She says worried and exhausted*

Serval: Kaban, are you ok?

Kaban: Yes, it seems I'm fine-

The girl get pulled away from her feet by a dog shaped Cerulean biting her ankle.

Raccoon and Serval: Kaban!

They hurry to stop the monster from biting her, unable to do it, they watch as bubbles come from its mouth.

Kaban: Help… it burns! Is burning! Help me!

The Cerulean was slowly burning Kaban's ankle, Raccoon and Serval look each other frustrated, no matter how much they hit the beast it doesn't stop from biting the girl.

Raccoon: Urgh… let her alone… let Kaban alone!

Serval: Meow! Let our Kaban alone! Stop hurting out friend!

Lucky Beast starts screaming again from Kaban's phone, the girl brings out the phone full filled with pain.

" _Battle has started, select Wild Charge skill to attack, select Wild Charge skill to attack"_

Raccoons holds on Kaban's hand and helps her to reach the button while Serval gets on position to attack the monster.

Serval: You will… stop hurting our dear friend!

Kaban presses the button and Serval hands glows with an orange light, Serval strikes down the Cerulean after hitting it four times.

Kaban tries to stand up but her ankle burns so hard she fells on the floor again.

Raccoon: Kaban!?

Serval: Kaban! Don't move so much!

Kaban: I'm sorry you girls…

Raccoon and Serval look at each other full of sadness.

Serval: Uh-uh, is not your fault Kaban…

Raccoon: We are pretty weak friends after all… we can only squish little ones…

Serval: If we only were stronger… our Kaban… we're so sorry…

Raccoon: I got it!

*she says palming her hands*

Raccoon: I just have to heal you!

Kaban: Oh, right I forgot, you're the support type that can heal, urgh.

Raccoon: Let it to me, you'll be ok in no time!

Raccoon takes Kabans leg and she starts making s hand movement as if she's washing Kaban's ankle, a green light comes out from her hands, a sigh of relief comes from the three of them… but nothing happens.

Raccoon: Eh? Why? Why it doesn't heal?

Kaban: M-maybe you just can't heal humans with that…

Serval: Just what we do now…?

"Is anybody here?" says someone from far away.

Serval: That voice… Oryx? Oryx is that you!?

Oryx: Serval? Where are you? Are you girls fine?

Serval: We are right here! But Kaban is hurt and we need help!

Oryx appears in a few seconds and meets with them, Raccoon and Serval carefully lift Kaban on their arms and follow Oryx to a classroom with an apparent barricade. Erika, King, Nanaha and Fennec and Lion were staying inside. They help Raccoon and Serval to put Kaban comfortable.

Nanaha finds an aid-kit and proceeds to clean Kaban's wound and pour burn cream on her ankle.

Nanaha: This will have to do for now.

Kaban: Thank you prez, it feels better now…

Nanaha: Is the least I can do, if it weren't for what you did on the cafeteria, maybe something worst could have happened to me.

They look at each other with a gentle smile, Raccoon is poked on her shoulder.

Fennec: Raccoon~

Raccoon: Fennec!?

*They hug each other tightly*

Someone knocks the door and everyone gets startled, Oryx peeks outside and opens the door, Aurochs and Rhinoceros come in. Rhino walks to Nanaha and kneels again.

Rhino: Master Nanaha, the area around us is clear, no enemies near we think, it seems all are heading to this place you call the "cafeteria"

Nanaha: Rhino…

*she kneels and takes Rhino's hand*

Rhino: Master!?

*The Friend blushes slightly*

Nanaha: There's no need to address me so polite, after all this month, you still came to rescue me…

Rhino: B-because I live to serve Master Nanaha!

*Nanaha shakes her head*

Nanaha: Don't you remember? We aren't master and servant, Rhino, we are best friends.

Rhino: Nanaha…

They give at each other a silent, blushing smile, as Serval stares from afar, holding Kaban's hand who is sweating from the hurt of the wound.

Serval: Best friends…

Kaban looks at Serval troubled face and smiles.

Kaban: Don't sweat it Serval *pants* we will get out of this…

Serval: Kaban…

King who was sitting on a table stands up and walks to Kaban, checking on his phone.

King: You say you used this "Wild Charge"? And that boosted Serval?

*She nods as Serval strokes her hair*

King: I guess we can use this to get away from school grounds.

As he says this Lions hugs him from behind and he pets her softly.

King: There, there.

Lion: Meow…

Servals looks at Kaban's phone for a moment, something confuses her.

Serval: Kaban, there's something else there shinning.

Kaban: Uh...?

There was indeed, another option on the menu, it was called _"Primal Charge"._

King: That's not on my menu.

Erika: Not in mine either.

Nanaha: Just Wild Charge here.

Serval: Only Kaban has it?

King: Wait, if you look at it carefully, is not a menu option… is a Serval ability!

Serval: Abi… abibi… what?

Kaban presses on the option an explanation appears:

 _"Only Zookeepers with the strongest bonds of friendship with their friends can unlock a Primal ability, the power to overcome all obstacles, born from love"_

Serval: The power to overcome…

Kaban: All obstacles…

An abrupt shake makes they go silent, Serval holds Kaban as much as she can, a tremendous and vicious howl can be hear at the distance, Erika drops on the floor and starts crying loudly.

Erika: We will never make it alive!

Fennec hurries to pat Erika's head and pacify her.

Fennec: Don't sweat it, don't sweat it.

Nanaha: Erika…

King drops on the floor and Lion looks at him confused.

King: We really don't know what to do about it, all we know is that for some reason Ceruleans appear out of nowhere and we had to… summon our Friends to protect us.

Nanaha: We can't risk to make our Friends to fight against all of them, if it happens like in the game, if the Ceruleans eat them…

Erika: They'll go back to their animal forms, and we probably can't fix them back like in the game.

Nanaha: If they turn Friends back into animals, what happens if they eat humans…?

Everyone goes silent and glances over Kaban's burned ankle.

Serval: Umnyah! We will fight!

*Serval stands up with bravery*

Serval: Wood charge or primary charge, no matter the abibily we will defeat those Ceruleans! For our friends!

Rhino: For our friends…

Lion: For our friends…

Fennec: For Raccoon…

Erika: Hey!

Fennec: Hehe.

King: I guess running is not an option here.

*the guy stands again and looks at all of them*

King: Are you sure about this? You're all level 0 and you don't have any other skill than Wild Charge.

They all nod together with a grind, after that King and Nanaha spent some minutes tracing a map on a sheet.

King: Alright that is the plan, we will all support Serval to reach the Cerulean boss so she can use that "Primal Charge" and destroy it, if this is like the game, the other Cerulean will be destroyed too.

Nanaha: Erika and I will take Kaban with us so she can support Serval later, Fennec, Oryx and Rhino, will cover our backs; King, Aurochs, Lion and Serval will be in front of us, Serval will hold at all if possible and let King Friends take away the Cerulean until we reach the boss.

King: Once we make a breach for Serval, use Primal Charge with no hesitation, all right?

Serval: Nyah!

Kaban: Okay!

Raccoon: Eh? A-and what about me!?

King: We need you to be the bait so we can get out here to the cafeteria hallway, that is one of your abilities isn't it?

Raccoon: It is… though…

*Fennec walks to Raccoon and holds her hands*

Fennec: Don't worry, I'll be back with you once they reach the hallway.

Raccoon: Fennec… Okay! I'll do it! If Fennec says I can I will!

Everyone is on their marks, King opens the door and the career starts, Raccoon starts glowing with a gentle blue and all the Ceruleans near start pursuing her, who later goes with to a different direction sobbing and screaming.

Some other Ceruleans appear behind them but they are quickly pierced by Rhino's and Aurochs spears, one cerulean tries to sneak behind their backs and is quickly slashed by Fennec claws.

They keep running turning right and left until they reach the cafeteria hallway, panting, sweating, all of them let out a small laugh of relief, but Kaban twitches from the pain.

Serval: Just a bit more… we're almost there!

*she says holding Kaban face, who smiles back at her*

Fennec: Well we are here.

*She says patting Erika's shoulder and running away*

Fennec: Raccoon! Where are you!?

Erika: You Raccoon-lover traitor!

Rhino: Silence! Something is heading toward us!

Erika: What? More!?

The door of the Cafeteria gets blown away by two giant spider shaped Ceruleans that jump straight at them, Aurochs and Oryx holds them as much as they can on a try to stop them, Lion and Rhino jump over Aurochs and Oryx back and kick them away but they both also get hit and crash on the walls.

King: Lion!

Nanaha: Rhino!

*Rhino quickly stands up again and spits a piece of wall*

Nanaha: Rhino…

Rhino: This is nothing! No one will hurt my friend!

But Lion doesn't stand up, King gets scared and bring Lion to his arms.

King: Lion… Lion! Come back with us Lion!

*She slowly starts waking up and lets out a weak meow*

King: Lion…

Lion: Don't worry… don't you remember? These are just small fries we used to take away everytime…

*She starts coughing hard*

King: Is ok… I can't afford to lose any of you Lion…

Lion: Is ok dear, really.

*The woman stands up, full of rage*

Lion: But when we are done kicking their asses you are going to spoil me a lot!

King: Hah… hahaha, I promise to.

Lion: Is a deal!

Meanwhile, outside on the gardens, Raccoon is crying and screaming, clinging on a tree branch, still using her bait skill to attract the Ceruleans who are waiting for her fall on the floor. A bit far away, Fennec watching the scene with delight.

Raccoon: Fennec! Fennec! You said you will help me!

Fennec: I'll go on a minute~

Racoon: I don't need you on a minute! I need you now!

Fennec: On a minute~

Raccoon: F-e-n-n-e-c!

Back on the hallway, the battle has extended, the Friends sweating and panting, the Ceruleans trembling, unable to hold themselves up anymore.

Lion: That is our chance! Aurochs! Oryx! Rhino!

The three of them: You got it!

The girls uses their spears to take down the legs of the monsters and make them completely fall as Lion jumps at them and rips their heads with her claws, making them disappear.

As their breaths gets heavy, Rhino drops on the floor exhausted, Aurochs, Lion and Oryx jump over King, squishing him.

Lion: I hope you're ready to buy us tons of Japari buns hehe.

King: Hah, I don't think we have those here.

Lion: What? No way!

Rhino: Would you girls settle down? *pants* The fight isn't over yet*pants*

Nanaha: You take a rest, you deserve it.

Rhino: But I… I'm not done yet *pants* armor… so heavy… maybe, just a moment I'll rest…

Nanaha: Erika

Erika: I know, is our time now.

Serval: Let it to me! I'll finish this!

Kaban coughs and tries to stand up, Nanaha tries to stop her but Erika shakes her head on a sigh to let her go.

Kaban: Serval I… I'm sorry.

Serval: Uh? Why is Kaban apologizing?

Kaban: Don't you see? All of this… you have to do all of this because I brought you here…

Serval: Kaban?

Kaban: If only I had listen to them before when they told me to change, you probably weren't here risking your life for me…

*Serval goes and takes Kaban hands*

Kaban: Uh?

Serval: Is not like it, is not like it at all.

Kaban: Serv-

Serval: Don't you remember? What I said to you a month ago?

Kaban: Ah…

Serval: There's no way you fail! Whatever you're going to do! You're my best friend after all!

Kaban: S-serval…

*The girl breaks down on tears and they hug each other*

Erika: Now I feel awful for telling her to toss her…

Nanaha: Well… we all did…

With mood filled with hope and an increasing bravery coming from their bonds of friendships, they get inside the cafeteria to face the most disgusting scene.

A giant, grotesque, centipede shaped Cerulean, obese by all the food it devoured, was eating the tables of the cafeteria with its mouth and lying new ceruleans by the tail.

Kaban and Serval, holding each other hand step closer to the monter and it reacts, howling like it never did before, ready to charge towards the two who were facing it.

Serval: I'll do on a quickly all right?

Kaban: Ok, come back soon, we'll do tons of fun stuff later.

Sarval: Yup!

Kaban takes a step aside as she presses the buttom, a sudden flow of orange light envelops Serval's body entirely, her breaths gets heavy, her eyes gets vicious, her claws and fangs growing sharper.

Serval: For Kaban… for my friends!

The centipede and her jump at each other, starting an aggressive encounter full of fast, powerful blows, one after other. The centipede, charging at her and crushing the walls and Serval jumping behind its back everytime and throwing a powerful, break-bone kick against the monster.

Kaban: Do it! You can do it! You can do whatever you're going to do!

Serval: Because you're my best friend!

Kaban: Because you're my best friend!

Serval speed increases more and starts throwing a rain of fists over the centipede body as she runs, violently giving the final blow over its head, putting both of her hands together and smashing it to pieces, making it disappear.

As the centipede vanishes, so does the other Ceruleans around the school buildings and her ankle injury. Serval form returns to her normal state and Kaban jumps at her and hugs her tightly, laughing full of happiness, Serval spinning her around.

Nanaha wiping Rhino's sweat with a towel as she takes off the upper part of her armor to breath more easy and King petting and scratching the other three girls on a constant changing head, giving everyone a turn as much as he can.

Fennec, bringing a passed out Raccoon on her arms and apologizing to Erika who was mad for being left alone.

May the events on the lives of these four today be inexplicably, but what with they won today, was probably worth the cost.


	2. Chapter 2

A sleepy Kaban on her pajamas slowly wakes up with the sounds of someone knocking the door of her apartment, it was 5am of the day after, all the hectic events that happened yesterday seemed so vague and distant now, just like a dream; but as she tries to convince herself everything was just a long, weird dream, she was finally waking up to, a sleepy Serval who was there to show her otherwise.

Face to face, the cat girl was pleasingly sleeping. With a warm smile, Kaban slowly pets her head, moving down to her face, as the girl blushes for her impulses and rubs the tip of her fingers over Serval's lips, just to once again be shaken up by someone knocking up her door.

Now fully embarrassed and awake, the girl gets out of her bed slowly trying not to wake up Serval but ends stepping on Raccoon's tail who was sleeping on a mattress on the floor.

"Gyaa!" Raccoon screamed as Kaban hurried to apologize and tell her to lower her voice; the half awake Raccoon slowly went back to dream as Kaban gently rubs her back.

The girl moves out of the room and goes to the hallway, being guided by the early blue lights of the morning, walking over a dead tired Aurochs; Kaban moves to the living room, where she finds Lion sleeping over a suffocated Oryx and a disarmed Rhino drooling over her own, just Fennec was awake, watching TV, hypnotized.

Kaban: F-fennec…?

Fennec: Ah… Hello there.

She said with a smile, showing up the eye bags from an obvious all-nighter.

Kaban: Did you stay awake all night watching TV?

Fennec: Ah…

She said again, looking at the window behind the TV showing the dawn.

Fennec: Looks like I did, this box thing is crazy good; I could watch it all day.

Kaban: (You just did…).

The door is knocked one more time, startling them two.

Kaban: You didn't hear the door?

Fennec: It was that? I thought it was the box…

Kaban: I think you have watched enough-

She couldn't end the phrase; Fennec had already jumped over the TV, wrapping it with her whole body in an attempt to protect it, shaking her head.

Kaban: Erika is going to kill me…

"Kaban! Open the door!"

Kaban: Oh, is King who is knocking?

The girl puts on her sandals and opens the door, and King and Nanaha appears before her, the first with a full tracksuit and the girl with a long winter dress with a gabardine jacket and a scarf, both holding tons of bags with them.

Kaban: Y-you're going to wake up everyone on the neighborhood!

King: We have almost half an hour here girl.

Nanaha: I didn't expect you were the type who can't wake up at time, Kaban.

Kaban: … I'm very sorry guys… the moment I went into bed I just fell asleep; please come in.

The kids go inside the apartment and Kaban helps them carry the bags inside.

King: I hope you have enough space in your kitchen for all of this.

He says as he quickly moves inside the place without asking permission.

Kaban: What is all these stuff anyway?

Nanaha: We decide last night to wake up early and buy food for them, is not like you would have been able to feed all of them with breakfast.

Kaban: Right, and they didn't have dinner either… thank you, that sure comes in handy.

Nanaha: Kin… I mean, our companion here is very proud of his cooking skills, so he is going to lend us a hand.

Kaban: I see… (Ah… she doesn't know his real name…)

They both walk into the kitchen, which is an open side that communicates with the living room. King then puts the lights on and smashes some pans together.

King: Everybody wake up and gather!

Kaban: You're being too loud!

Nanaha: Let him, we have to teach them a lot of things today before thinking of what are we going to do, the earlier the better.

Kaban: It feels like you guys were thinking about this more than me… which reminds me, how did you guys know where I live?

King: We asked Erika last night when we were talking about buying the food.

Kaban: Why isn't she here too?

The Friends start waking up, everyone but Lion and Serval start sitting in over the kitchen table, Kaban guiding them to the chairs.

King: Well, the thing is we also decide to skip classes today, so we are letting you girls go instead.

Kaban: Skip? You are going to miss classes? Are you sure of that?

Nanaha: Is just going to be for today… we can't let them alone all day you know?

Kaban: You both really thought of everything.

They both answer with a wide smile. The morning comes arise and the now fully awake Kaban goes to the bathroom to change clothes and put her uniform as fast as possible.

Once the girl is ready and walks over the still asleep Serval, she goes to the kitchen and finds Nanaha washing everyone's faces with cold water, soap and a towel. Kaban joins her as King takes over the kitchen and fills the living room with aromas that wake up the hunger.

Meanwhile breakfast takes its time to get ready; Nanaha brings with her all the cups she found on Kaban's kitchen and pours green tea into each one for the girls.

Oryx: This is…?

Fennec: They call this thing "tea", is water mixed with leaves, is suppose to heal fatigue.

Raccoon: Fennec!? How do you know that!?

Fennec: The box was very informative about it…

She says giving a sick grind to the TV.

Raccoon: The box… ah, that's why you woke up in the middle of the night right?

Kaban: (SO that is why I didn't remember letting her watching television last night).

Fennec: Raccoon my dear, you weren't supposed to say that.

Kaban: (I knew it).

They share gazes between each other but the caught Fennec just looks away in the end, feeling the guilty.

Lion stretches and stands up, scratching her head she walks towards the kitchen, Nanaha quickly gets a towel and submerges it on water, ready to welcome her, but the girl skips everyone and leans on Kings back, snoozing.

Lion: Auron… feed me.

Everyone stood silent for a minute as they watched surprised the Lion girl whispering his name "Finally someone said it", all the girls thought that.

Auron: Good morning there, I'll feed you on a while, why don't you go with the girls for a moment?

Lion: Eh? How more will it take? Is it ready now? Can you pet me meanwhile?

The girl keeps wrapped to his waist following him everywhere.

Nanaha: T-they sure get along…

Kaban: Right…

Aurochs: L-lady Lion that's not fair!

Oryx: Aurochs is right Lady Lion, you can't monopolize Auron, he hasn't even pet us yet!

She didn't listen, the cat girl kept close to the boy who keep feeding her with little bits of food and petting her head. But Nanaha ends the entire scene grabbing her from behind as Kaban smashes a cold towel in her face to clean her, Auron gives them an apologizing smile.

After some minutes the kid finally finishes and brings plates full of rice, roasted fish, clam soup, toast and sausages for everyone to pick, Nanaha refills their cups with tea and Kaban helps serving the food for each one.

Aurochs: These aren't Japari Buns…

She said with a fixated face, Auron looks shocked and destroyed as all of them react the same way, unable to take the first step to grab the food, even though all of them are starving they're also scared of the way the food looks; all of them except Lion, who is looking at Auron animously.

Oryx: Lady Lion, is this food really safe to eat?

Aurochs: Even though he did it for us… *gulp* this "fish" looks like it wants to fight us…

Lion: Is fine! Is fine! Auron food is suuuper delicious.

Aurochs: Then why isn't Lady Lion eating?

Lion: Eh? But Auron said he was going to feed me?

She says with a playful smile as the boy gives a sigh out loud, takes the chopsticks and starts feeding her with some rice, which she takes happily while Aurochs and Oryx look jealous. This ends with Auron taking turns to feed each one on the mouth as they slowly drop their fear against the food and start to like it.

On the other side, Rhino and Raccoon struggle to separate and hold the chopsticks to eat. Fennec quickly takes the lead and says she watched plenty of people using it on TV, even imitating the basic manners of people who thank for the food, she goes and feeds an almost crying Raccoon, who already had broken 4 chopsticks on the wrong way.

Nanaha also wanted to join into the feeding scene, but since Rhino was trying with such effort, she decides to teach her how to use them instead.

Finally Serval shows up, everyone welcomes her but she doesn't answer, the girl is crying, she runs and hugs tight the surprised Kaban.

Serval: Kaban! Kaban!

Kaban: W-what is it?

Serval: You weren't on bed when I woke up, so I thought I had lost you!

Kaban: I was here you silly.

She pets the crying cat girl gently.

Serval: But… but…

Kaban: I get it, I'm sorry I left but I couldn't wake you up no matter how much I tried.

Serval: T-then is kind of my fault too…

Kaban: Here, let's wipe that crying face, everyone wants to breakfast with you.

Serval: Uh… uh…

It takes half an hour for all of them to finish eating and for Kaban and Nanaha to wash the dishes meanwhile Auron has again to take turns to brush all of his Friends hair with a comb, the others are on the living room, being initiated for Fennec in "how to watch the magic box".

Nanaha: Kaban?

Kaban: Uh? What is it?

Nanaha: How… how is your ankle?

Kaban: Ah…

They both stare down at her ankle, which was tied on bandage.

Kaban: Is fine, really, I just keep wearing the bandage because it feels weird that it has already healed.

Nanaha: And the fever?

Kaban: It was gone before I went to sleep.

Nanaha: I see…

Kaban: I'm fine, really, thanks for worrying about me, Nanaha.

Nanaha: Well of course, after all, yesterday was… really something else.

Kaban: Yes, you can say that again.

They know turn around giving a peek to the happy atmosphere on the living room.

Kaban: Nanaha?

Nanaha: Yes?

Kaban: How much… how much I… I mean…

Nanaha: What is it?

Kaban: How much money I owe you guys?

Nanaha: Excuse me?

Kaban: Please don't misinterpret it! I just… you guys bought food enough to feed all of them for days… so I think the correct thing is to repay you.

Nanaha doesn't say anything, she just gives her an angry face and flinches her with the fingers in the forehead.

Kaban: Owie!

Nanaha: You don't owe us anything; we are making all of this for them after all.

Kaban: But…

Nanaha: If we were to owe someone something, it would be you.

Kaban: Eh?

Nanaha: Whatever happened yesterday, we couldn't come out of that situation without that "Primal Charge" thing, and later you offered your apartment for all of them to stay the night because we couldn't take them to our homes.

Kaban: Even if you put it like that, I still-

Nanaha: No Kaban, we owe nothing to each other, as I said, we are all doing all of this for them.

Kaban: For them…

Nanaha: Is almost as if they were our babies now… haha.

Kaban: Well, Serval did woke up and start crying looking for me like a newborn.

Nanaha: So she did.

They both giggle and finish washing up the dishes. As Raccoon and Serval cry again pulling Kaban from the legs so she doesn't leave for school, Nanaha sits the others and with the help of Fennec she starts teaching them some basic manners about humans and human objects, with a struggling face, they try to follow as much as possible, though is not sure they are catching up with everything.

Fennec guides Raccoon and Serval from the draw room to the living room after they fail to make Kaban stay and give them a quickly resume of what Nanaha was teaching them.

They're suddenly interrupted for a message in both of Auron and Nanaha phones, it was Erika, and her message was "Check up the news".

After fighting with Fennec to take the remote control from her, they finally put the news and stay shocked for what is on screen.


	3. Chapter 3

It was just 20 minutes since Kaban left the apartment and went to the train station, but everyone is desperately trying to contact her.

Nanaha: I can't believe they suspended classes.

Auron: After all we did this morning; it feels like we were worried about nothing.

Nanaha: You can say that again.

Auron: Erika must be happy about it though.

Nanaha: And again.

Both of them were sighing out of frustration on the living room, trying to call Kaban to tell her, but it was useless, her phone was out of reach somehow.

Nanaha: She must have gotten inside the train already.

Auron lies on the floor and sighs; Lion quickly puts her hands over his face.

Nanaha: What should we do now?

Auron: Uhm… start looking for a part-time job? We need money to feed them.

Nanaha: I was talking about Kaban… and school doesn't allow high school students to work you know?

Auron quickly grabs Lion hands and put them away and gets up.

Auron: Wait, serious? But we just used a lot of our savings today…

Nanaha: I know, but getting expulsed is not worth either.

Auron: Aw man…

The boy lies down again, this time for an ashamed Oryx to imitate Lion and put her hands over his face, Lion smiles and does the same.

Nanaha: Ahem! If is about the money you don't have to worry, I have enough for another two weeks, that would cover food and another basic expenses.

Auron: Thaf iffanfsti

Nanaha: Excuse me?

The boy removes the hands on his face again.

Auron: That is fantastic, but it would be better having a job already.

Six hands now cover his face as Aurochs joins in.

Nanaha: Indeed, but for now we should worry more about the present.

Auron: … like?

Nanaha doesn't answer him, but he quickly catches, up, removing their hands once again, they both look at the sobbing Serval on the drawing room hugging one of Kaban's sandals, on the other side, an hypnotized Fennec watching television making with it the first TV marathon a Friend has ever done and a vanished Raccoon.

Auron: Yeah… you have a point.

Once again all the hands go down and smash his face.

Nanaha turns to her side, Rhino has been sitting silently watching the scene for a long time, obviously resisting the impulse to join them, she's breathing heavy, looking at Nanaha.

The girl laughs gently and pats her right hand.

Nanaha: Is okay, you can do it too.

Rhino: I-it is really ok?

Nanaha: Yes.

Rhino: T-then, if you excuse me…

Rhino moves behind Nanaha and slowly cover her eyes with her hands, giggling happily.

Auron and Nanaha: (Ah, these girls are a lost cause, but they're so cute).

Minutes passes and they still can't decide what to do, Kaban hasn't answered the phone yet, and Erika was told by Nanaha to come to Kaban's apartment so everyone could met.

Nanaha: Fennec, it has been troubling me for a moment now, where is Raccoon?

Fennec: Ah… she wasn't letting me watch TV at peace so I show her the cleaning products and now she's cleaning Kaban's bathroom.

She said, without blinking or turning her face to Nanaha.

Nanaha: (She is so invested on watching TV she even ignored Raccoon…).

The girl coughs and tries to change the subject.

Nanaha: Fennec, do you remember about yesterday's fight? About what Raccoon did?

Fennec: You mean when she used her skill to lure the Ceruleans away?

Nanaha: Yes, I'm still troubled about it.

Auron: Because she used an ability that wasn't registered on her character skill set?

Nanaha: Indeed, we all looked at our Friends and they only could use "Wild Charge".

Fennec: But Auron told her to use her bait skill and she just did it.

The fox girl finally stopped looking at the TV and turned around, just to stare at the goof scene of everyone stuffing their hands on their Zookeeper's faces.

Fennec: Ah… I can't take any of you seriously like that.

They both sit with Fennec after getting away from the goofballs.

Nanaha: So? Why do you think that happen?

Auron: That part of the plan was mistake, even when we checked they only had 1 skill, I told her to use something we didn't saw, but since she did it regardless, I didn't bother to think much about it.

Nanaha: What do you think Fennec?

Fennec: Well, maybe we still have the skills we had on the game, but it won't register until we use them.

Auron: Does that mean Kaban's phone has the healing and bait skills of Raccoon registered?

Fennec: Most likely.

Lion: Hey, hey hey, we could have answered that too…

Nanaha: But we still can't contact Kaban.

Rhino: They're ignoring us…

The conversation is violently interrupted by their phones, ringing on a loudly tone that makes everyone jump, the game's app was at it again:

"Attention players, the second part of the tutorial will begin on 10 minutes, we repeat, the second part of the tutorial will begin on 10 minutes"

The alarming noise ends, only silence covers the living room now, Nanaha and Auron look at each other scared.

Auron: We've been only doing…

Nanaha: … a tutorial? And we are just on the second part!?

Fennec: Won't they come here? To this "apartment"

Auron: That probably is… Ceruleans won't show up on a place where the player isn't.

Nanaha: If they pursue the player then Kaban is on danger!

Auron: Right, we need to gather up and get the hell out of here.

Nanaha: And go where!?

Auron: I don't know, somewhere near that doesn't have people to put in danger, we need to get away from here as fast as possible or everyone on the building will be at risk.

Nanaha: Right, there's too many people here… bring Raccoon and Serval, I'll contact Erika and-

Fennec: I don't think that is possible.

The fox girl is point to the drawn room, the door is wide open, Serval has left already.

Auron: Did she think Kaban was on danger and went looking for her?

Nanaha: We won't find her at time!

Rhino: I'll look for her!

She says as she struggles to fit her armor back in.

Fennec: Nah; just let it to me and Raccoon.

Rhino: Are you sure?

Fennec: Yes, you have to protect your lady.

Rhino: My-

The girl stutters, Fennec glares at them pleased.

Nanaha: C-can you find them at time?

The blushed girl interrupts them.

Fennec: I can't, but I know someone who does…

She stands up and looks at the hallway.

Fennec: Raccoon my dear, we're going out!

Raccoon quickly comes out of the bathroom, with a mop and a spray bottle on each hand.

Raccoon: But I haven't finished cleaning the whole thing!

Fennec: Your Zookeeper is on danger; I think the apartment can wait.

Raccoon: Say what!?

On a whim, they get ready, not time to keep appearances under profile; they're just running across the hallways and down the stairs, out of the building. They reach the ground floor, with their hearts beating fast, 4 minutes have already passed and it has feel like 4 eternal hours, Nanaha points at a near building under construction at a few streets from where they are, she tells Auron the construction is suspended and that he can use it.

Auron: What do you mean "me"? Nanaha, we need to do this together, you only have 1 Friend.

Nanaha explains there's no chance to reach a real safe place to fight at time, if the two of them are on different places, the damage from the fights will mitigate.

Another minute passes, Auron realizes he won't convince Nanaha at time of her decision, he nods and runs with his group to the building.

Nanaha takes Rhino from her hand and calls Erika, telling her that Fennec is looking for Serval and Kaban, who probably is still on her way to school and hangs up. They both end on a wide white water drainage that communicates with a small river.

10 minutes have passed, Nanaha's phone rings again, she breaths deeply and opens the application of the game:

"The second part of the tutorial will start now, defeat all enemies to win, keep your Friend within battle range"

Nanaha: What kind of tutorial doesn't even tell you how to play…?

The girl scratches her head frustrated and Rhino gently pats her back trying to comfort her. The light of the sun gets bloked for a moment for a big creature on the sky, they both look up confused.

Almost as big as a small private plane, a bird shaped Cerulean lands near the drainage looking at them the monster screeches on fury.

Nanaha freezes cold dead, unable to move or react, the fear from facing such creature wasn't on her calculations, she unconsciously looks for protection behind Rhino's back, her jaw shakes as the memories from that day on school comes back.

Rhino: Lady Nanaha… Lady Nanaha!

But the girl doesn't respond, the bird waves its feathers and screeches once again a band of cerulean cover the sky like a cloud, at least sixty little bird shaped ceruleans land around the bigger one, all cawing on a menacing way towards the girls.

Rhino: Nanaha… Nanaha! I can't do this alone! Nanaha!

It was too late, the band of birds sets to fly again around the girls, trapping them on a storm of monsters. Rhino wraps Nanaha on her arms trying to protect her; one by one, the birds take their time to attack.

Even by wearing the armor, the blows from the birds are too strong to resist them, Rhino is pushed down her knees, but she doesn't let Nanaha go.

Rhino: Lady Nanaha… Nanaha… listen.

She holds the girl from her face with both hands as she keeps being getting hit by the birds.

Rhino: I know this is scary, I feel like is our fault that my Lady and your friends got in all of this.

Nanaha looks up at her, violently getting hit by birds claws and pecks.

Rhino: But I can't do this alone, I need you to order me, so I can protect you.

Nanaha: Rhino…

Her words finally reach the girl, who shakes as if she was sleeping, coughing like she usually does to recover her composure.

Nanaha: You are right, I'm sorry I let you get hurt… I'll do it; I'll order you… to victory.

A cloud of dust wraps them both and explodes, making some of the birds disappear and others to fly back to the bigger monster.

The dust disappears and shows a composed Nanaha, and a furious Rhino holding tight on her spear.

Rhino: You really have done it now… for trying to hurt Nanaha… you all shall pay!

The Wild Charge aura flows on her body, the big monster gives another screech and commands the birds to strike back, the little monsters fly on the sky and get ready to launch their next attack.

Rhino: Come! I'll take every single one of you!

Nanaha: (If she still has all her skills… I can come up with a plan).

The birds charge over them, Rhino waves her spear around and gets ready, now with a brave Nanaha in sight, the battle starts.


	4. Chapter 4

The chapter of Auron and Lion

Auron is a Japanese high school boy on his 16s, of an appearance tall, not exercised but healthy, brown eyes and black, with a mold under his left eye.

His grades are average, just some places behind Nanaha and other best scores on the classroom. His parents work overseas so he lives with his older sister on an apartment since little, which he barely sees now since she's got a work and college studies.

5 months ago, the routine of this boy was going home to school and back, since he had to do most of home chores and shopping. The boy grows used to this "self-sufficiency" since kid, making his personality too individual to others, unable to make the first step to make friendships even if he wanted.

But the existence of the CC game and its popularity on the school give him the idea that being the top player of the classroom would make him popular and the other kids would like to be his friend. The reality although, was different.

After four months of playing, and beating another of the students on the classroom on a one-sided, PVP session, who was the former strongest player on it; nobody wanted to be with Auron, in fact, nobody felt like hanging out with the boy who suddenly appears and beats one of his buddies on the game. And Auron, unable to vocalize his thoughts or feelings, got trash-talked and pushed away from social circle of the classroom.

But even after all of this, he wasn't completely unmotivated; even if he couldn't make friends on school, he still had Lion.

The requirements of the game to obtain a new character is through Serval, the way you raise and train her can randomly unlock encounters with other friends on the game, which after almost a month of interacting with it, they choose to join you.

Through the bond of friendship with Lion, Auron obtains Aurochs and Oryx, in that order, an ultimate trio of Combat Type Friends that can work together on Quests with destructive combos, making their path by overwhelming force and leadership.

The last month before the school incident, he felt like everything was falling into piece once again, even if he didn't had any friends on school, he still had Lion. But that wasn't all the reasons behind his new confidence, it was something more, a spark on his eyes every time he watched the cat-girl like on his phone, something that he couldn't express yet.

Day after the incident: 06-09-20XX, half an hour after the second tutorial started.

Auron and his Friends had reached the building Nanaha told them at time, a suspended construction due to administration problems which was suppose to be a new vertical condo on Kaban's neighborhood, it was 80 feet tall and 30 feet wide and the only thing done yet the assemble of the steel bars structure.

They thought they were ready, but a hoard of giant, ant-shaped ceruleans of the size of a golf cart showed otherwise. With an even bigger ant-cerulean queen leading them, the group was overwhelmed by the fierce of its numbers; cornered, they tried to climb the building, and that was when things got worse.

The ants quickly started to build a nest using the incomplete building as base. Throwing rocks, concrete, metal scrap and other material waste around the zone, with incredibly dstrexity and cooperation the creatures working got everyone trapped inside of it and separated from each other in the middle of the chaos. On a last attempt to don't let the situation fail completely, Lion grabs Auron on her arms and jumps far away from an army of the ants following them inside the freshly built nest.

She doesn't stop until she finds a hole on one of the halls that lead to a small, empty space, where they passed inadvertently from the creatures following them.

Auron gets off from Lion, they both lie on the floor made of improvised stuff and sigh loudly.

Lion: I give up, I'm tired, I'm not doing this, I'm hungry and sweated and I want to go back to Kaban's home.

Auron giggles almost uncontrollably.

Lion: Is my suffering that fun?

Auron: Not at all, is just… the impression from hearing you acting like that is so different from the game.

Lion: I see…

They stay silent looking at the roof for some minutes, take a deep breath and look at each other, speaking at the same time.

"You see"

They smile at each other, get up and sit on the floor.

Auron: Would you let me go first?

Lion: Shoot it.

Auron: Well… here goes, I feel like I must apologize to you, somehow this situation feels like my fault.

Lion: How so?

Auron: Maybe if I hadn't summoned you that day…

Lion: Ah, that? Is not like I understand what is happening either.

Auron: Is not only that.

Lion: Uh?

Auron: We have been so excited from having you guys become real in front our eyes that we haven't stopped to think about everything.

Lion: Uhm…

The girl massages her head with the tips of her fingers.

Lion: For some reason I feel like you're about to give a long speech so please try to keep it simple for me.

Auron: I'll try… for starters, the creatures we are fighting.

Lion: The Ceruleans?

Auron: But are they? You defeated some of those but you did it without crushing their stones, in fact, they don't have stones.

Lion: Well now that you say it…

Auron: And their form and how they react, even weirder, in the game, they take bizarre forms, some of them barely resemble an animal, they also aren't shouldn't be as smart and organized as these ones.

He says the last touching the floor the ants made.

Auron: We were so distracted playing with you guys, we forgot to make the important questions.

He turns and looks directly at Lion.

Auron: That's why… I'm sorry; we should have been more prepared.

The cat girl immediately pats his shoulder with strength repeatedly.

Lion: Don't you worry! Like I was saying is not like we know what is happening either!

The boy smiles as he rubs his shoulder.

The walking of the ants on the floor above them makes some of the sand fall on their head interrupts their conversation. Lion shakes her head throwing sand everywhere, then she rest her head over Auron's lap, he answers scratching behind her hears, and she purrs softly.

Auron: Ah, what were you going to say to me?

Lion: Ah, right.

Auron: Uh?

Lion: …

Auron: Lion?

Lion: Do you have anything to eat? I feel hungry.

Auron: Right, it must be on my pocket, I hope they didn't break…

Lion lifts her head up for him to look into his pocket, bringing three packed bars.

Lion: What are those?

Auron: "If you're hungry, eat a Snicker" or so is what they said, I bought them for you and the girls to eat later, you can have yours now.

Lion grabs one and quickly tries to bite it, she gets the plastic paper stuck on her upper teeth and the bar hanging on her mouth.

Lion: Thif isnf tasfty thouf.

Auron: Wait you dumb, I'll help you with that.

The boy opens the bar and gives back to her, she smells the chocolate pleased and takes a bite and her face shines on happiness, her tail smacking the floor.

Lion: What is this? Just what is this!? Is tastier than the Japari buns!

Auron: Is a snack we eat when we feel tired or hungry, it gives you the impulse to finish whatever you're doing.

Lion: In resume! The snack of victory!

She says, striking a pose and making him laugh.

Auron: I guess for this situation is exactly that.

She takes bite after bite without breathing and licks her fingers after.

Auron: Hey don't do that, is bad manners.

The kid brings a handkerchief, grabs her right hand and cleans it.

Lion: Sorry, sorry, it was just too good.

Auron: It looks like that.

He finish cleaning her hand and her fingers cross together, he stares silent at it, with an embarrassed smile, Lion in the other hand, looks at him a bit sad.

A small screech comes from the other side of the hole and freezes them; they look at each other and move to a corner in the hole where darkness can hide them. One of the ants goes inside the hole, looks at its surroundings but fails to spot them, picks up the snack bar plastic bag that Lion dropped and eats as it draws back to the hall.

Auron: It ate the bag because it was made with chemicals that Ceruleans consume or… because of the chocolate?

Lion: That darn ant! I didn't even lick the leftovers in the package!

Auron: Eh? That's what you're worried about?

Lion peeks outside to check no one is around and helps Auron to get out, they walk around the long hallways always looking behind their back, and they keep doing it for a while until they find another hole, which leaded them to a rusted hallway way down the nest that wasn't being used for the ants yet.

Walking down the long tunnel, and taking times helping each other with the obstacles meddling on their path, time passes by and Lion sad face appears again. Constantly looking at Auron, trying to speak to end turn her face away and keep walking, she does this repeatedly and Auron notices it.

Lion: You know… Auron… uhm…

Auron: I… I kind of know already what are you going to say so…

Lion: Is that so?

He nods with a sad face, they look at each other, this time with an angst expression, almost as if even without saying it, they know what are they going to end talking about.

Lion: Aw man… I don't like this kind of stuff… Ok, here it goes nothing… I know you love me.

Auron: … yes, I do.

Lion: Do you know I love you?

Auron: I do.

Lion stops walking and holds her hands on her chest, troubled to keep talking, Auron doesn't look at her.

Lion: Do you know… right? That the way I love you-

Auron: Is not the same way I love you.

She clutches her hands on her chest; the boy keeps without looking at her but he is clearly annoyed.

Auron: Why do we have to talk about this now of all times?

Lion: Is just… remember how bad Kaban got when the Cerulean bit her?

The guy quickly looks at her with an angry expression.

Auron: Ah yes, I know what you're implying, you're implying that in the case something happens to me you needed me to know you don't love me the same way I do?

The cat girl looks down, she doesn't answer.

Auron: I knew you are in love of her, is my fault anyway.

Lion: Wait, Auron, you are getting the wrong idea-

The awkward discussion is interrupted by an ant that suddenly pops from above of them, the creature makes the tunnel ground shake and brake, making Auron and Lion fall on a dark hole, each one on different directions.

Lion slowly opens her eyes, she had long fall it made her pass out for a moment, while trying to get up, and she feels her body stuck on something. A steel bar had fallen over her, she shakes and tries to lift it up but is useless then she starts to feel something crawl over her legs.

An ant gets over her and screeches, it charges against her and she quickly reacts by catching it fangs with her hands, a fight of endurance is held as the ant tries to bit her face, but Lion gives the monster a pissed off expression.

Lion: Give… me… a… break!

The cat girl rips the fangs of the ant off and finishes it by blowing a fist inside the monster's head, making it disappear.

Lion looks up, a tiny ray of light really high on the floor from where they fell, the steel bar still making her stuck, the sounds of multiple steps from the creatures coming closer and Auron nowhere to find, she closes her eyes and breaths deeply.

Lion: Moose… what would you say to me on a situation like this?

She takes another breath and giggles.

Lion: Probably something like "you just need to hit them harder!"

Once again opens her eyes again and tear comes out from her left eye, her voice cracks a little.

Lion: Why are the two of you such blockheads? Geez.

The steps get louder and the silhouette of the Ceruleans start defines at the distance.

Lion: I guess this is how is going to be… in the end we all were at fault.

The screeches of the beasts gives her skin chills, she closes her eyes one more time.

Lion: Auron… Moose… I'm sorry I was a blockhead too.

A voice from afar makes her heart skip a beat, getting louder each second the beasts get closer to her, the voice and what it says turns clear "Lady Lion!".

Aurochs and Oryx appeared to her help, destroying with her spears the closest Ceruleans to her, an exhausted Auron appears later.

Auron: You girls… run… too fast…

Oryx: Are you okay?

Aurochs: He looks like about to pass out.

Auron: Just let me… catch my second breath…

He looks at Lion with a fatigued face and forces a smile, she answers throwing a tantrum and meowing loudly.

Aurochs: Lady Lion?

Lion: C'mon! You guys took too long! Get me out of here! Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!

Oryx: Y-yes, understood!

The two of them take the steel bar and move it to a side for Lion to get up. A more composed Auron looks shily at her; she sighs and scratched her head.

Lion: Would you hear me out now?

Once again, they're interrupted, this time not for a hoard of ants, but by the queen itself, who raised from the trash on the ground full of fury. Lion turns at her with the same pissed off expression than before.

Growling mad, the girl gives a powerful stomp on the ground, making the dirt around raise like a wall and cover them like a shield.

It doesn't take much for the queen and its minions to charge an attack to the walls, trying to force its way through.

Lion then walks and stands face to face to Auron, giving him an aggressive look.

Lion: I want you to know that I don't love you the way you love me, but that is not all.

He looks at her scared, but doesn't answer; instead, he lets her continue.

Lion: You know me very well but you also don't know some things of me… Yes I love Moose, but it wasn't after I met you that I realized.

She takes a pause and blushes, Aurochs and Oryx look with open mouth the confession of her Lady.

Lion: I'm not sure when I started feeling this way for her, but when I met you, I understood what was to feel loved. What Moose feels for me… is something between friendship and love, something hard to describe, a magical feeling that has me impulse forward now and then.

She holds his shoulders, without changing the seriousness of her face.

Lion: I'm not saying that I don't love you the way you love me, I'm saying I want to learn to love you the way you love me.

Auron stares shocked, blushing red in front of her, making Lion embarrassed too.

Lion: C'mon I'm not good with this kind of stuff! You say something too!

She shakes the boy from the shoulders until his words come out.

Auron: Are you sure this is what you want to do?

Lion: I took this decision long time ago, even before I was summoned in your world.

Auron can't find words, he looks at Aurochs and Oryx, who nod implying they did also know about it.

Lion: Is… no good?

The boys takes her hands from his shoulders, taking a deep breath he holds them together.

Auron: I want this… and I want it to work out.

They smile at each other pleased and embarrassed, Auroch and Oryx look at them feeling both happy and kinda out of place, the ants dig through the walls and their heads showing up startling everybody.

Oryx: Lady Lion, can we really beat these monsters?

Aurochs: We crush them and crush them but there's just too many! I'm feeling so tired.

Lion: Then is time for you two to eat the snack of victory!

The cat girl looks at Auron who quickly reacts, bringing out the other two bars and opening for them meanwhile Lion looks at them eat the snack while drooling. They're both excited for the flavor and hungry, chewing down on them like crazy, Aurochs hits her chest to swallow the chocolate entirely, and Oryx keeps jumping repeatedly in one place due to the taste.

Aurochs: I feel my strength coming back to me!

Oryx: This is indeed the snack of victory!

Lion looks at Auron with a puppy face.

Auron: … I'm sorry I just bought three…

She pouts and turns back at him; she later smiles and snaps her neck and fingers.

Lion: Well, well, well my friends, I guess is the time to give this guys a lesson.

Oryx: At your command! Lady Lion!

Aurochs: We will follow you to victory!

Auron brings out his phone, opening the application and their skill sets.

Auron: We will try our usual strategy, everyone ready?

Lion: On your marks!

Auron: Alright! Now!

The battle starts, Aurochs and Oryx break the walls with their spears creating a cloud of dust, Auron prepares them to fight just like he used them on the game. As they use the dust to make their way to the queen and killing the ants, Auron presses the skills in order.

First he boosts their attacks with Wild Charge, which they use a brute force to charge against the main forces of the queen. Next he uses the "Howl of War" of Aurochs who gives a loud battle cry, which boosts the attack of every character who can use a "Howl" skill.

Now he presses Oryx's "How of Guard", same as Aurochs she does a battle cry the terrifies the creatures, this one boosts everyone's defense.

Lastly he presses on Lion's "Howl of the King", the girl stomps the floor and let's her rage flow through her battle cry in such a way even the queen takes a steps back, this ability is made to boost the attack power by the numbers of Friends in your team who have a "Howl" skill.

Lion's Wild Charge grows like fire, directly charging at the queen with a speed and strength no seen before, the queen charges back but Lion catches her fangs like is nothing.

Turning her upper body, Lion growls and pulls off the queen's fans with pure brute force, holding them on each hand, she jumps high on the cave, throwing the fans like spears over the queen, piercing its head.

Lion gives a flip on the air and launches herself, giving a powerful, devastating kick on the fangs, pushing them through its head, crushing it and making the giant creature disappear.

The force of the fight makes the build shake so hard it can't support the construction of the ants and starts to collapse on itself, Aurochs catches the flying Lion who suddenly lost all her strength and Oryx grabs Auron on her arms, both start to run making her way outside the nest, crushing the leftover ants on their wave.

The place goes down slowly but violently, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind, everyone covered on dirt and trash, they look at each other and smile.

Lion slowly stands up and walks to Auron, grabbing him from the jacket and lifting him up. Aurochs and Oryx confused, Auron with his feet unable to reach the ground and Lion giving him a death stare.

Lion: Hear me and hear me well, there's no backing off now!

Auron: I know!

Lion: You will pet me every day?

Auron: Yes!

Lion: And feed me and spoil me?

Auron: Yes!

Lion: And Aurochs and Oryx?

Auron: Yes I take care of them properly too!

Lion: And will you buy us more snickers!?

Auron: Those are kind of expensive I don't know if I-

Lion: What did you say!?

Auron: I'll buy them! I'll but plenty of them!

She smiles widely as his last answer and hugs him tight between her arms, she whispers in his ear.

Lion: Let's not be blockheads to each other alright?

The boy nods and hugs her back, Aurochs and Oryx look at them pleased and happy.

A piece of metal scrap from the destroyed building suddenly moves, one of the minion ants survived, the creature jumps and charges into the group.

They're all startled, unable to make a fast move, Aurochs and Oryx struggle to stand up and Lion puts Auron behind her to protect him. But the ant is strike down by a sudden flash of light on its head, the creature dies in front of Auron and the Friends, who were still processing the scene that developed on a matter of seconds as the body of the ant slowly, disappeared.

"I'm sorry to butt in; you all looked like you were in trouble".

A voice behind them makes them turn around, two tall figures unable to identify were standing in one of the walls that didn't collapsed.

"I have some business with you, Auron kid, if you are willing to hear me out".


	5. Chapter 5

The chapter of Nanaha and White Rhinoceros:

Nanaha is a girl on her 16s from a wealthy family, of pear figure and medium stature, blonde hair and black eyes. She is the top class student and president of the student council. Praised by professors for being smart and athletic and admired by students for her scores and leadership as president. Polite and sometimes with a mighty personality; the typical model student.

It wasn't but until 4 months ago when something weird was happening to her, her scores where gradually dropping and she often spaced out on classes and council meetings. Like everyone on the school, Nanaha had downloaded the CC game, and got hooked on it like no one else.

Out of school grounds back in her home, the truth is Nanaha was a completely different person when no one could see her, with a lazy personality, loose clothes and without a single care for the world; she spent the days playing the CC game with Rhinoceros.

For Nanaha, living at peace as a literal leech from her parent's money was good enough, and so she was planning to live her entire life that way. Her parents, worried about the behavior of their kid, decide to get rougher on her nurturing, they started by limiting her access to the family money, but when it didn't worked they threaten her to disinherit her completely if she didn't become the top student on her high school for three consecutive years.

The girl was keeping things under control until the CC game came out, her addiction for games and her attachment for the loyal Rhinoceros were hitting her weak spots and the results of that were showing up on school.

Their parents, believing their kid was going back to her usual behavior plan to threaten her again, making her to take a difficult decision: Stop playing the game and saying goodbye to Rhino, forever.

The months passes and the with a heavy heart, she tries her best to don't open the game again, no matter how much she missed her friend Rhinoceros.

That's why after the day of the incident, many mixed feelings come from having Rhino face to face, looking at her, hearing her voice, teaching her how to eat, fills Nanaha with guilty and happiness, embarrassment and bliss.

Day after the incident: 06-09-20XX, 15 minutes after the second tutorial started.

Things weren't looking so good for the duo, swarm after swarm of Cerulean birds, there was no end of them.

Every single time Rhino was about to wipe them entirely, the bigger beast fluttered their wings, and the feathers that dropped from it turned into more Cerulean birds that charged against the Friend. The match turned into a battle of attrition, and Rhino was quickly losing all her energy.

After the 6th wave of evil creatures violently trying to take her down, Nanaha calls for a withdrawal pointing at a big sewer of white waters.

Rhino takes her spear once again and waves in circles, distancing herself from the creatures and runs inside the sewer along with Nanaha.

The creatures follow them inside and the battle turns into a chase, panting and exhausted, Rhino carries Nanaha on her back and runs as fast as possible until they lost them. Deep inside the sewers, without any clue of where they exactly were, the girls sit on the floor sweating, trying to catch their breath.

Nanaha: I'm so sorry… I didn't expect for things to get so bad…

Rhino: No reason to blame yourself milady… it was my fault for not being strong enough…

One after the other they keep apologizing until they end laughing. Rhino removes the upper part of her armor and crawls to the drain trying to take a sip but Nanaha holds her from the waist explaining the water couldn't be consumed.

Rhino: As expected of Lady Nanaha, I would have fallen poisoned if it weren't for you.

Nanaha: You just have to train your logic sense more gosh…

Rhino stays silent for a moment, staring at Nanaha from feet to toes, her fancy clothes and heels, she looked at her body with a mix of confused and pleased.

Nanaha: W-what is it? Am I too sweaty?

Rhino: Is not that… Lady… I mean… Nanaha… your clothes…

Nanaha: What 's wrong with them?

Rhino: I've never see you with such cute clothes, Lady Nanaha, they suit you well.

Nanaha: Wait.

The girl stops her from keep talking, flustered and rubbing her forehead.

Nanaha: Do you mean you know how I dress up normally?

Rhino, a bit confused, nods in the most innocent way, Nanaha then jumps at her and grabs tightly on her shoulders with both hands.

Nanaha: How much do you remember!?

Rhino: W-well, Lady Nanaha used to always wear baggy clothes or nothing; you also had a more messy hair and wear something on your face.

Nanaha: … Glasses, perhaps?

Rhino: I guess so…

Nanaha: What else!?

The girl was slowly leaning on Rhino, which was being overwhelmed pushed against the floor.

Rhino: P-pardon me for a second Lady Nanaha, b-but your hands are kinda hurting-

Nanaha: What else Rhino!?

Rhino: Ah!? Yes! Well, I remember you also spent your days lying on bed and eating snacks, you also oftenly went to sleep with your phone over your face…

The girl turns awfully red and with the force she was pressing down Rhino, the Friend is falls on the floor and Nanaha quickly gets over her. Rhino blushes slowly watching Nanaha getting so close of her face.

Rhino: Did you say that to anyone!?

Nanaha: N-no! Milady private life is no one's business!

The girl closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, gets off Rhino and leans into the wall of the sewer, emotionally beaten.

Rhino: N-nanaha…?

Nanaha: Uh?

Rhino: I want to know… I want to know why the Nanaha I met so different from now; did something happen?

Nanaha: … Do you really want to know?

Rhinos ears weave on curiosity, she sits properly and nods forcefully, but Nanaha looks at her without the less interest to explain.

Nanaha: The Nanaha you are seeing right now… is a lie.

Rhino: … what do mean?

The girl takes a deep breath and proceeds to explain everything with the most, tiring and sad possible voice she could make. After some minutes of telling her story, Rhino looks at her with a troubled smile.

Nanaha: There's no need to feel pity for me you know!?

Rhino: N-not at all!

Nanaha: Then why are you making such an ugly face!?

Rhino: I-I just… felt bad to have you tell me such a secret.

They stare at each other in silence for some minutes; Nanaha stands up and turns her back to Rhino.

Nanaha: Hey… which one you prefer?

Rhino: Pardon me?

Nanaha: Between the Nanaha you know and the other Nanaha, which one you prefer?

Rhino: Milady, that's…

Nanaha: Nobody likes the Nanaha you know, nobody respected me and that's why I had to pretend to be someone else…

Rhino: (For what you explained I think not even Friends would want a leech…)

Nanaha: But who cares of what I do or stop doing!?

Rhino: Nanaha?

The girl raised her voice furiously, shaking and clenching her fists.

Nanaha: I have flaws! Everyone has flaws! Why no one can let me live my way!?

Rhino: (Milady… I think you're setting the bar too high…)

Nanaha: So!? Answer me!

Rhino: I… I like both of you!

The girl quickly turns at her, Nanaha is quietly sobbing, with furious expression.

Nanaha: But I'm telling you this "me" is a lie! Is that what you mean? You prefer the lie like everyone else!?

Rhino stands and puts a serious face, she slowly walks to Nanaha and gently holds her fists.

Rhino: Nanaha, I don't think this part of you is a"lie"

Nanaha: E… eh? What do you mean?

The ground above them suddenly shakes forcefully and a high pitched screams can be hear from the outside.

Rhino: Milady! They found us!

She moves at the speed of a blink, grabs her upper armor on the floor, runs back to Nanaha and pushes it through the body of the sobbing girl. The chirping noises and ethereal lights coming closer from inside the sewer, she picks up her spear with the right hand and wraps Nanaha from the waist with her left arm as if she was holding a surfboard, the girl runs away in a comical way from the incoming monsters.

Left, right, then right again, moving without any plan or sense of direction the Rhinoceros girl moves fast to put her troubled friend back to safety.

Rhino: Lady Nanaha! What should I do now!?

Nanaha: Does it matters anymore? In fact, did it matter before? We are outnumbered no matter where we go.

Rhino pulls the brakes and stops mid chase, angrily staring at the depressed Nanaha , she throws the girl inside a shallow flow of water in the sewer. Nanaha falls with her head on it and fights to turn her body to breathe but the armor is too heavy for her to move, Rhino grabs her from a shoulder and turns her body upside. Nanaha looks at her coughing and furious as the animal girl sits over her.

Nanaha: What is the meaning of this!?

Rhino: Did the water cleared your mind, milady?

They stare at each other realizing how the roles changed, Nanaha doesn't answer her, she just tries to get up, but Rhino puts her spear over the plate of the armor making it more heavy.

Nanaha: W-why are you doing this… I-I'm getting soaked on this water.

Rhino: Nanaha… you have to accept the other part of you.

Nanaha: Accept you say?

Rhino: Do you regret getting good at sports? (Whatever those are)

Nanaha: … not really.

Rhino: Do you regret getting good "scores"? (Whatever that is)

Nanaha: … no.

The girl gets more and more flustered with every question, the water running through the armor and passing behind her head making she feel really uncomfortable.

Rhino: Do you regret being more wise, stronger?

Nanaha: … no… in fact, I actually like to know more things than before… do more things than before.

Rhino smiles, gets off her and moves the spear aside, grabbing the armor from the part of the neck, she helps Nanaha to get up, and while slowly stroking Nanaha's wet hair, she continues.

Rhino: The "you" from before and the "you" now are the same person, milady, there's not a "fake" version, and I will love and protect, with dedication, whoever you choose to be.

Tears pour out from Nanaha eyes slowly, giving her hiccups. Rhino braces the crying girl between on her arms, making her head rest over her chest and slowly rubbing her back.

Nanaha: Can I be both?

She asks with a cracked voice.

Rhino: … yes.

Nanaha: Would you still love me if I'm both of them?

Rhino: I'll do.

Nanaha looks up on her from her chest, shaking like a wet cat, wiping her face with a hand like a little kid.

Nanaha: Rhino.

Rhino: Yes, milady?

Nanaha: Your breasts are huge, what's up with that?

Rhino: (I kind of want to ask what she means with that… but I'm afraid!)

Nanaha: Uh?

Rhino: M-milady? Now that we are over this why don't we think on a way to beat these creatures?

Nanaha: Uhm guess so…

They stand up and move out the sewer.

Nanaha: I guess "Paladin Mode" is what we need.

Rhino: … Come again?

Nanaha: "Paladin"

The girl hits the plate on the chest while saying it.

Nanaha: right now you are on "Warrior Mode", that's why your armor looks this way, the different modes, the different your armor, skill sets and weapons.

Rhino: Is that so…

Nanaha: By the way, you have four armor modes.

Rhino: (You should have said that sooner, milady!)

Soon, the noises from the creatures come from a near hallway; the girls react instantly and begin to run again. They turn left on a corner and find an exit to the surface, Nahana climbs the stairs with the help of Rhino, but when Nanaha tries to move the sewer cover, a giant bird's beak pierces through the hole, sending them back inside the sewers and falling on the floor abruptly.

Rhino hurries to stand up and check on Nanaha.

Rhino: Milady!

The girl also hurries to stand up and gives a smile to Rhino, the animal-girl answers back with a smile. The monster digs on the hole again and releases a shocking screech, which makes the little birds inside the sewer fly to their direction.

Rhino shakes Nanaha by the shoulders.

Rhino: Milady! We don't have much time! Use that Paladin thing!

Nanaha turns her face and looks to the wall, Rhino confused waits patiently for her to answer.

Rhino: Nanaha…?

Nanaha: Don't forget you asked for it…

Rhino: Eh?

The girl draws her phone from her dress, dripping wet but still working, still without looking at Rhino, she opens the game and quickly drives through all options without even watching the screen. Nanaha finally turns her face to Rhino, pressing on the screen; the armor of the Friend starts to shine when the birds finally reach their prey, instantly charging against the two girls, the shinning Rhino steps in front of Nanaha and opens her arms to protect her, the birds are dissolved instantly when hitting Rhino's light.

On the surface, the giant monster waits patiently for its minions to bring the prey, the time passes and the birds don't come out, the beasts tries to give a peek through the hole of the sewer and is blinded by a ray of light, the sewer shakes and explodes, making concrete, pipes and dirt fly away on all directions, the giant beast flies over and prepares to attack.

In the chaos of the explosion, two figures come to the surface, one of them instantly runs away from the cloud of dust and monster pursues it, charging against and kicking and holding it between its claws against the floor.

The air starts clearing and the beasts reacts surprised at the conclusion, the beast caught Nanaha. Protected from the claws of the monster with Rhino's armor, she sticks out her tongue and flips a bird to the creature.

Nanaha: Too bad for you, the game ends now! Rhino, your chance!

The creature turns back, the other figure was deliberately running towards it, making a high jump, she comes out from the dust.

Wearing a full body, silver armor, with a Rhinoceros shaped helmet and holding a European long sword, the girl flips on mid air and falls over the creature, slashing with the monster head through the neck with two clean movements.

Rhino jumps back again on the floor, shaking off the sword from the creature leftovers and sheathing the sword back on its place, she takes off her helmet and shakes her hair as she watches the creature dissolve.

Rhino: Thee evil creature! Findeth peace on the oth'r w'rld!

Nanaha: Aren't you forgetting something here?

Says the girl; lying on the floor, unable to stand up.

Rhino: How malapert of me!

The Friend hurries to help Nanaha and removes the armor from her body.

Rhino: We didst t, milady! we didst t!

Nanaha: (Ah… see? This is why I never change your armor mode; you keep talking on weird ways when I do it, what a pain in the ass, really)


	6. Chapter 6

The chapter of Kaban, Raccoon and Serval, Erika and Fennec, part 1:

Erika and Kaban are girls on their 15s and infancy friends. Erika, with a like for gyaru fashion, this cheerful, tanned girl supports and protects Kaban since they were little. With the past of time, Erika has noticed how shyness and insecurity has grown along with Kaban, slowly making difficult how the girl faces the world.

On an attempt to help her a bit, Erika introduces Kaban to the CC game, hoping that way she can make more friends on school by playing, but her effort fires back at her as her shy friend gets hooked on playing alone with Serval instead of making bonds with other classmates on school.

Running out of ideas, she convinces Kaban to play once more on the incoming CC event with the excuse of winning the money prizes when in reality she's looking for Kaban to meet more people through the game.

Meanwhile Kaban is completely unaware of the situation; the girl is totally addicted to the game, but specially, of Serval. Since that mysterious day when the cat girl talked to her, Kaban has slowly developed a crush over the virtual cat girl sending her motivational words from her phone.

Day after the incident: 06-09-20XX, 10 minutes after the second tutorial started.

On a small neighborhood, near Kaban's place, people who were going out for work and kids who were walking to school noticed something unusual that day, the growling of an unknown animal and the screams of a woman all over the place. They turned around, even looked at the sky; the noise was everywhere, but no sign of the responsible.

A couple of kids are pushed away from the street by their mom as a girl on a bike passes through at full speed, the woman doesn't even have time to yell at her, a creature of the size of a bear, with the body of a gorilla and no head pursues the bike girl with ferocity, the woman hurries to run back inside her home scared as the beast gallops away.

It was no one but Erika on the bike, screaming incessantly with eyes full of tears, the girl has been playing a scary game of cat and mouse for ten eternal minutes.

Erika has been running away from the Cerulean all the time, but premeditated, behind her understandable fear to be catch for such bizarre creature, she's been running in circles around the same area, waiting for Fennec and Raccoon to find Kaban and come back to help her.

After fifteen minutes passes and the exhaustion from pedaling starts to hit, she realizes the time where she's going to be saved will not come, is everything up to her.

Swallowing her tears, Erika drives out of the neighborhood, with the Cerulean following her from behind and each time closer, she runs to a street with a garbage disposal corner, it was full of trash bags and steel pipes and wood tablets and planks on a side, she had to move fast.

She turns in the corner and pulls the breaks, extending her right arm and without leaving the bike she holds on one of the pipes and uses it to flip a wood plank, making an improvised ramp pointing to the wall.

The creature draws closer; she puts the pipe under her arm and uses the ramp and tablet to jump on the wall. With an amazing lot of skill, the girl makes the bike stand on the rear wheel then holds the pipe together with the steering wheel to equilibrate, looking like she's doing a circus act, the girl pedals and continues running away, jumping from wall to wall, making it harder for the creature to get her.

Sweating like crazy yet profoundly proud of her idea, the girl loses sight of the gorilla and breaths on relief, she stop on an alley with a mini-super and drops from the wall, her legs are killing her, she leans the bike on the entrance of the mini-super and goes inside to buy a bottle of water, the guy inside nervously gives her the beverage, confused on why is a high school girl drenching on sweat and holding on a steel pipe on a menacing way.

She sits near the bike and gulps down the whole bottle, looking everywhere in case the creature appears, her phone rings on a melodious rhythm, a unknown number is calling her, Erika quickly picks it up.

Erika: Who is it?

Fennec: Sup dear.

Erika: Fennec!? Where are you calling from!?

Fennec: From a public phone box near the train station.

Erika: On the sta- wait a minute, you know how to use a phone?

Fennec: Yes I saw it on TV, I asked someone for a coin to call you and they gave me a lot of them, Japanese people are so nice.

Erika: That just opens even more questions but never mind that, why you haven't come to help me!? I'm on serious trouble here!

Fennec: Well you see…

The fox girl explains Erika how they met with Serval on the train station then the two of them jumped on the rails and went to chase the train where Kaban got in to go to the school.

Erika: They will never reach her at time those two…

Fennec: They were so worried for her they didn't hear me.

She pauses for a moment, breaths in and continues.

Fennec: But I think I can catch her.

Erika: Well if you found your way to call me you probable can ride a train too-

Fennec: No silly not like that.

Erika: Then how are you going to get to her first.

Fennec: The "school" thing is not so far right? If they keep running they will reach sooner or later, but I can get faster if you cast Wild Charge on me.

Erika: But if you can do that, can't you help me here first? That thing will appear in any moment…

Fennec: Uhm…

Erika: Are you seriously considering in not helping me!?

The girl screams at the phone scared and angry, Fennec takes another breath and continues.

Fennec: If you are in fear right now, imagine the girl who was already bitten for one of those things.

Erika stops dead for a second and thinks about that.

Erika: … fine.

Fennec: You're a good friend, that's why I like you.

Erika: You do?

Fennec: Did I never tell you?

Erika: We haven't talked much since yesterday after all, miss "I-love-raccoon-so-much"

The fox girl lets out a small embarrassed noise and pouts loudly.

Erika: Anyway… are you sure that will work out? I don't see you on range.

Fennec: I believe we Friends and your phone apps don't really follow the rules of the game, I should be able to use Wild Charge regardless of the distance that separates us.

Erika stands up and kicks the bottle of water inside of a trash can.

Erika: The train takes 15 minutes to reach the station near the school, which is the double of time by walking. How fast can you make it?

Fennec: I don't have a good concept of "time" yet.

Erika: Ah...

A block from the shop was, Erika feels the steps of the creature that makes the floor shake silently.

Erika: I don't have much time left; I'll lure this thing to the station you're going.

Fennec: Two birds with one stone.

Erika: (You don't understand "time" but you understand analogies? )

Fennec: Are you still there?

Erika: Yes, yes… anyway I'll see you there… Kaban is in your hands.

Fennec: You got it.

Erika hangs up and opens the app, lurking through the buttons she presses on the Wild Charge skill and puts the phone back on her bag. She looks around and rides on the bike pedaling slowly, she feels the steps of the creature coming closer but she can't find it yet, but when the screams of little kids come from one of the closest street; Erika quickly pedals towards it.

Two little kids, scared to death and lying on the floor are being cornered by the Cerulean, the creature extends its arm and long, pointy fingers slowly grow from it, trying to touch the children who cover their heads on fear.

Erika: Hey loser! Pick one of your own size!

The monster reacts to her yelling instantly and turns to her, it begins to jump in the same place and hit its chest furiously with its arms just like a gorilla; Erika begins to shake in fear just like the kids, instantly regretting what she did and running away from the Cerulean.

Erika: I take it back! Eat the children!

The girl screams and pedals as fast as she can, the monster begins to pursue her again and the cat and mouse game restarts. Erika recovers her calm as she notices is drawing the beast to a a public street with too many people, she shakes her head and gulps down saliva, her expression changes.

Strongly pushing on the breaks, she stands on the front wheel as the bikes makes a 180º turn, Erika looks at the Cerulean more decided than ever and pedals towards it, holding the steel pipe with her right arm, she charges to the left side of the beast and violently strikes its leg with the pipe.

The Cerulean falls to a side and collapses, making loud noises of suffering, it shakes, trying to stand up.

Erika: I'm sorry you freak but won't put a hand over this tight butt!

She says, shaking her rear to the monster and sticking out her tongue, Erika runs away on a different direction.

Erika: I'll just have to take you to the station without putting anyone else in danger right!?

With abrupt movements, the monster stands back again and gradually speeds its chase against Erika, the two of them slowly disappear inside the suburbs.

On the other side of the town, on the rail track of the train station, Fennec dashes towards the point of encounter, with her body sparkling in the shine of Wild Charge, she skips and runs, making everything she can to reach Kaban.

In a question of minutes, Fennec devises two figures on the rails, it was Raccoon and Serval, exhausted from running they were panting in the middle of the way.

Fennec slowly stops in front of them with a worried expression.

Fennec: What you two doing? You don't want to stay here when the next train passes by.

Raccoon: Fennec!? How!?

Fennec: I got a little of help from Erika.

Serval: Kaban… Kaban… !

Fennec turns at her, the cat girl can't put the words together, she just breaths forcefully as if she were about to cry. Looking at Fennec eyes, the fox girl pets her head gently and smiles.

Fennec: Nothing will come out from worrying so much you know?

Serval: But…!

Fennec: When we meet with Kaban, you should be smiling up for her, not crying.

Raccoon: T-that's right! We have to smile so Kaban can smile too!

Serval: Girls…

Fennec: You hear her, c'mon, jump on my back.

Serval: Your back?

Fennec: None of you will reach her at time, but with my Wild Charge I should be able to carry you there.

That said, Fennec kneels and Raccoon sits on her shoulders as the fox girl blushes and shows a smug, pleased smile, then she proceeds to carry Serval on her arms and goes back to run.

Racoon: Nyahaha! This way will reach in no time!

Fennec: Ah… I'm afraid I'll reach heaven before Kaban!

Raccoon: W-what do you mean? H-hey, stop snuggling your face on my thighs, i-it feels weird!

Fennec: Raccoon thighs' are made of heaven~

Raccoon: I-if my thighs are made of heaven… then your head is made of air! Hmph!

Fennec: (Eh? Did she think I was insulting her?)

Serval: (I'm glad I'm not where Raccoon is…)


	7. Chapter 7

The chapter of Kaban, Raccoon and Serval, Erika and Fennec, part 2:

A trail of black smoke in the air is coming out from a damaged train wagon that has stopped in the middle of the way. Holes of the size of someone's fist in all the first three wagons, every time the train shakes, you can hear the people scream startled, another hole in the third wagon, a small, blue creature with one eye and the shape of a mole comes out from it.

With fast movements, the creature digs another hole in the floor of the wagon and disappears, the train shakes once again left and right, a high school girl runs towards the door that connects the third wagon with the fourth wagon and smashes it screaming for help, the people on the other wagon look at her frustrated and scared, they're holding the door closed on purpose.

"That thing is after you only! I can't put other people at risk!" Says the driver from the other side holding on the door so Kaban can't open it.

The Cerulean appears once again from the floor, Kaban turns around cornered by the little beast which screams on a vicious way and starts jumping and bouncing inside the wagon at a high speed. Kaban covers her head with her arms and runs back to the other empty wagon, the creature bounces on the walls and charges against the girl, scratching the girl on the legs and making her fall on the floor.

Kaban, scared, hurted and panting, desperately crawls inside the other wagon, the Cerulean disappears once again and makes the whole train shake. The girl sits on corner, shaking and crying she covers her head again.

Kaban: Serval…

The train shakes violently, scaring the girl even more and making Kaban scream the name of the cat-girl for help.

This time, the Cerueal comes out from the roof, looking directly at Kaban, but the moment it comes out of the hole and falls, a hands appears from one of the holes of the wall and catches the monster.

Kaban looks surprised and confused, the Cerulean mole shakes trying to get off the hand without any result, the hand squishes it hard and another arm goes through a holes and slowly rips it apart, the sudden shine of light blinds Kaban momentarily as Fennec goes inside the wagon holding on the mole.

Fennec: Yo!

Raccoon and Serval jump inside and run towards the scared girl, Kaban smiles with hiccups from her tears.

Serval: Kaban! I'm so sorry I'm too late! Are you ok? Did you got hurt?

Raccoon: If you got hurt we will give the Cerulean a lesson!

Fennec: I'm the one giving it a talk though.

Kaban: You came, you really, did came…

Serval: Of course we will, Kaban is our best friend!

The girls help Kaban to slowly stand up, her clothes are dirty and full of holes and scratches, her arms and legs have scratches from the claws of the monster.

Serval: Kaban!? Are you really ok?

Kaban: I think so-

The girl collapses over Raccoon who almost falls trying to hold her, Fennec and Serval run to her scared, Kaban has passed out, her face looking pale, her sweat is cold.

Serval: Kaban!? Can you hear me!? Kaban! Wake up, Kaban!

Fennec: Uhm… isn't this the same that happened on school?

Raccoon: W-what do you mean!?

Fennec: Well, didn't she fell sick when that Cerulean bit her ankle?

Serval: Now that you say it…

Raccoon: But that wear off once Serval smashed the Cerulean right?

Fennec: The Cerulean queen, right.

The three girls look the mole which is still in Fennec hands in most menacing way, the fox girl smiles and takes it with two hands as the creature realizes it inevitable ending.

Fennec: Nothing personal tiny dude.

She squishes as hard as she can with both hands, the creature lets out a high screech before dissolving in dust in Fennec hands.

They turn back to Kaban, Raccoon puts a hand on the girl's forehead, and she's still cold and shaking, with an expression full of pain.

Raccoon: It didn't worked, Fennec! She's not getting back to normal!

Serval: But we smashed the Cerulean!

Fennec: Maybe-

The train shakes once again; the three girls instantly make a circle around Kaban to protect her.

Fennec: There's more to come! We need to get off the train!

Raccoon quickly puts on Kaban on Serval's back and they all jump off the wagon in the rails, Fennec slowly follows them from behind as a flood of countless Cerulean moles come out of the train like an infection.

Fennec kneels and holds on the rails, breathing deeply, she grabs then tightly and pulls two steel beams off with her arms. While Raccoon and Serval keep running away, Fennec uses the steel beams to strikes away and crushes the multiple creatures that jump into her.

One after other, they jump and charge at the fox girl, who spins in circles using the beams to repel the monster as she withdraws from them, if they try to cross after her by running, she kicks the rocks from the floor at them.

Minutes passes and the swarm of moles doesn't decrease, Fennec is getting tired, but Raccoon and Serval are finally far away from the creatures, the fox girl throws the steel beams and the mass of creatures then runs away to catch with the other two.

The three Friends and Kaban reach the other side of the station, people confused and worried look at them as the drag the passed out girl out of rails and into the floor. The girls stare at her, she's not recovering, her face with a hurtful expression, sweating cold.

Fennec: It really looks like she won't recover until we wipe out all that things… they're so many!

She says, dropping on the floor exhausted, Raccoon uses her hand as fan to refresh her and Fennec smiles blushed.

A thunderous explosion makes the station break, people yell screaming and immediately run towards the emergency exits, a siren can be hear along.

Serval: They're already here!?

Fennec: Ah, I think I'm forgetting something…

Raccoon: What do you mean?

Fennec: I was supposed to do something after saving Kaban but… ah.

The station shakes once again after another explosion that silences everything, the ring of small bell echoes in the distance and a worn out Erika appears ridding a half destroyed bike.

Fennec: Ah, that was it, I had to help Erika too.

Raccoon: How could you forget that!?

Fennec: Your heavenly thighs occupy my mind completely.

Raccoon: And I'm telling you if my thighs are made of heaven your head is made of air!

Fennec: Raccoon my dear, I've been thinking this for a while, but you just don't get it do you?

Raccoon: W-what do you mean?

Serval: Girls… Erika and Kaban need our help…

Erika drops from the bike, her uniform is full of dirt, her hair a mess with dust, she walks trembling to the girls and furiously points to Fennec.

Fennec: Yo!

Erika: Don't "yo" me! Where were you!?

Fennec: This took much more time than I thought.

Erika: You said you didn't understand what "time" was!

Fennec: I did?

Erika: Fennec!

Fennec: Oopsie.

Erika drops the conversation as soon as she she's Kaban passed out on the floor, she kneels and holds her between her arms.

Erika: Kaban? Kaban!? What happened to her!?

The girls are interrupted once again by the scream of bigger beast, the gorilla-shaped Cerulean appears from where Erika came from. From the other side of the station, at the distance, screeches from the Cerulean moles can be hear approximating, the gorilla and the moles runs into the same direction, the bigger beast jumps on the rails as the moles cover its entire body with theirs.

On an indescribable scene, the moles climb to the neck of the beast with no head and melt with each other together with the gorilla, the monster raises from the rails back up on the station, now even bigger, with a head of countless eyes made with the bodies of the moles, its body making awkward movements inside the station due to its size.

Erika: Hey… isn't this like… really bad?

Fennec: No way I'm beating that thing, is huge.

Raccoon: But Fennec, if we don't do something, Kaban…

Fennec: But how I'm supposed to take down that one by myself?

Raccoon: Ugh… there has to be a way!

The monster slowly walks to them, Erika takes Kaban and drags her away, the three Friends group together, tired, angry and frustrated, they stand against the Cerulean who is eagerly looking to crush them to pieces.

Suddenly, the creature is strike by a beam of light which makes a hole on the middle of its body, a woman and a Friend appears from the entrance of the station, the friend jumps and swaging her right arm, she makes a spear of light appear and throws it against the Cerulean, making a hole on its head, making it instantly collapse and dissolve into dust.

In just a matter of seconds, Kaban, who was still on Erika's hands stops sweating, and her expression passes from being hurt to relax.

Seconds after they show up, they're followed by Auron and his group, the boy quickly points at Kaban and the girls as his Friends runs to help them.

Auron: Caracal! Miss Mirai! There they are! They're the ones I was talking you about!

The blonde woman, wearing a lab uniform looks at Caracal who quickly nods and takes helps Erika to hold Kaban.

Mirai: We called out too much attention; you and your friends will go back to the girl's apartment and let my people do the rest, I'll met with all of you once the situation has calmed down.

Auron: Alright, I'll phone you if something happens.

Mirai: Let's move.

Confused, the girls stare at the woman who started making phone calls and taking notes, with the help of Caracal, Erika moves Kaban away as the others follow them outside, back to the apartment.


	8. Chapter 8

Voices echoes in a dark room, the whisper of women, the growls of monsters and the screaming of people filling the walls. Kaban, in the center of this room is covering her ears from the loud noise which strikes right on her, the young girl suffers as the voices gets louder, with no place to hide, Kaban feels losing her grip, a voice from the outside of the room suddenly silences all the others.

"Kaban! "

The girl opens her eyes, she's back in her apartment, and the hunting echoes slowly disappear as she realizes it was nothing but a nightmare. Regaining her conscience and rubbing her eyes, Kaban notices her lack of clothes, she has been undressed and tucked in bed, a smug Erika holding a chocolate cigar is resting right next to her, with a devil smiles and gesturing someone's smoking.

How was it?-

Why act like we just did it? –Kaban ask, still confused.

Her legs felt heavy, she couldn't move them at will but when her hands tried to reach them she found a warm fur all over. Kaban looks down and is surprised by Serval who is sleeping over her legs while on a cat position, the girls gives the sleepy cat-girl a warm smile and scratches behind her ears gently.

How are you feeling? –Erika asks.

My head feels heavy, but I think I'm ok-

Kaban smile suddenly drops while she fixes Serval's hair.

Everything that happened on the train… it wasn't a dream, was it? –Kaban looks up to Erika.

It can be a dream if you want-

Erika says hugging Kaban's head.

Fennec told me… it must have been really scary-

It was –The girl says tearing up.

Then let's pretend it was just a bad dream, you can forget it faster that way –Continues Erika, slowly petting her head.

Kaban wipes her tears with the left hand.

It feels like everything was my fault –Kaban says with a crackly voice.

It wasn't your fault… it was their fault –Erika interrupts her.

The girl stares at her friend, waiting for her to complete her sentence but she shakes her head.

First of all, put on some clothes, everyone is on the living room waiting for us-

Everyone? –Kaban asks while skillfully removing her legs out of Serval without waking her up.

She said to wait until we were all together to explain what is happening-

Could you at least finish one thought?- Kaban says frustrated.

Just hurry and dress up, you'll understand later-

Erika leaves the room and leaves Kaban alone with Serval, she gets out of the bed and stands in front of the mirror of her room, the scratches on her body are all gone, nothing that shown the events of that day to have actually happened, increasing Kaban's thought all of that was nothing but a bad dream.

She opens the closet and picks up a t-shirt and shorts, plus some underwear, the girl dresses up and suddenly hears Serval snore, Kaban bursts red as she realizes it's getting dressed in front of the cat girl. The girls turns back to her but Serval is still asleep, feeling her heart near to explode, she dresses completely, and whit mixed feelings of embarrassment and excitement, she rubs Serval's back to wake her up and go to the living room.

Holding hands, Kaban guides the sleepy cat out of the room to find a lively scene going on her apartment. Fennec, explaining and gesturing things from the TV to Aurochs, Raccoon and Oryx, who follow her up or at least, pretending they do, Lion, learning how to use a phone from Auron as she takes it and tries to take a selfie, dragging the boy by the neck which turns red and silent, and Erika and Nanaha, playing with Rhino, the first painting her nails and the second braiding her hair.

Everyone slowly notice Kaban going inside the room, welcoming her with a smile, they point out to the kitchen, where a delicious smell is coming out.

She saters surprised and confused, a blonde woman who she has never seen before is inside her kitchen making food with the help of a cat girl who looks like serval, the woman turns around and smiles from ear to ear when she sees Kaban.

You got up just at time! Lunch is ready, I hope you don't mind I borrowed your kitchen –The woman tells her as she walks to Kaban while cleaning her hands on the apron of the girl she took.

Ah, is fine Miss… -

Oh how rude of me, my name is Mirai, and the Friend right there is my buddy Caracal, please to be you acquaintance –The woman gestures with a bow, which Kaban responds without thinking much of it.

As Mirai fills the table with plates of rice, salad, fish and pickled vegetables, everyone gathers and sits around, passing the plates and helping each other, Kaban feels a warming feeling of happiness on her body as the lunching time is filled with other people eating and chatting, even with Mirai and Caracal who just appeared out of nowhere, everyone acted like a reunion of familiar who meet every now and then.

The meal continues full of conversation and the noise of the forks and chopsticks hitting the plates, as soon as the food disappears from the table, stomachs fulls and belt loosened, Caracal takes the plates to the sink with help of Erika while Nanaha pours water in the coffee maker, silence invades the living room, the joyful atmosphere gradually vanishes as everyone looks at Mirai, waiting for her to talk.

I guess I should start for the beginning –The woman says sighing and looking at the kids with a bittersweet smile.

As I said before, my name is Mirai –She continues –I'm part of the developer team behind the game of Cerulean Crisis.

Well that kind of obvious- Says Erika, who is immediately shooshed by Nanaha.

There are a lot of things I can't say to you yet, for now, I can say the events that happened yesterday in your school and today were an accident due to a wrong update in the game.

The kids look at the woman with a serious expression, no one says a word, Mirai feels quickly pressured.

Let me put it like this –She drags her phone out of a pocket and continues –You know when a program is being build, it has a Alpha version and a Beta version right? You kids got the Alpha version by mistake –

It wasn't a mistake –Caracal interrupts.

Hey! –Mirai yells at her startled, Caracal realizes what she did and looks down.

I'm sorry I couldn't help it… -

Mirai sighs once again and tries to recover her composure.

The truth is, the director of the project, forced the Alpha update of the game on purpose, the director did it without telling us, so things got quickly out of our hands.

I hate that woman –Caracal adds on a low tone and with an angry expression.

Auron raises his hand, Mirai nods and gestures to him.

What is this "update" exactly? –The boy says pulling Lion's cheek –How can an update do this? –

I'm afraid I can't explain that to you –

How does a mobage company have the money to make a thing like this anyway –

I can't explain that to you either –

Nanaha interrupts Auron who was about to launch another question by touching his shoulder.

Are Friends are Ceruleans programs too? – She asks to Mirai, who looks even more frustrated.

I don't know how to drop this to all of you but… no, they aren't programs, we are unsure of how Alpha Ceruleans are composed, but all Alpha Friends here that are all living beings –

The kids look shocked at Mirai after such words, the Friends there are all feeling their heads exploding from trying to understand except Caracal and Fennec.

Caracal here is a living being too, she came from the Alpha version and has been with me for a long time – She gestures to the cat girl who lifts her head up and bows in the most polite way.

Are you here to take them back? –Kaban suddenly interrupts, the other kids look at their friends with a scared face and then back to Mirai.

The woman doesn't answer, she closes her eyes and stays silent for almost five long minutes, the coffee maker with its sound and smells cuts the heavy atmosphere, Nanaha stands up and quickly comes back with the coffee jar on a table plus a sugar pot and some cups.

Mirai breaths deeply and opens her eyes, everyone stops waiting for her to finally answer.

Our main goal was to retrieve back all the Friends who were summoned with the Alpha update to the laboratory- She says while takes a cup of coffee served by Nanaha and continues –But there's a way to keep them with you, if you want.

She takes a spoon and adds some sugar mixing it with the coffee.

I just want to make clear one thing- Mirai gestures with the spoon –They're new lives brought to this world, they breath, feel and talk just like us, keeping them means a big responsibility, almost like raising a child or living together with someone you love.

Mirai sips on her coffee and smiles pleased with the taste.

You all still kids, are you sure you can take this task? No one will blame you if you can't, and I and Caracal will take care of your beloved Friends –

Silence fills the room once again, the animal-girls look all worried at the kids, Servals holds tight on Kaban's shirt with a face full of fear and sadness, Kaban blushes and pets the cat-girl head, she's the first to speak.

I want to live together with Serval and Raccoon, I now can't think of a future without them-

Her words warm the heart and shake the doubts of the other kids, who look at Mirai with a brave smile.

I see, is good that you all feel the same – Mirai says taking another sip of coffee –However –She continues –The favor I need you to do so you stay together with your friends is same as tall, specially for you, Kaban –

For me?-

We, and I say "we" as in name of the company, are willing to let you keep the Friends you have summoned if you keep playing Cerulean Crisis.

Everyone turns to Kaban without thinking twice, the girl shakes to the request, the memories from the train and the school hit back like a tuck into her brain, she feels her blood pressure going down, suddenly, even the air feels difficult to breath.

Serval tries to talk to her but is useless, Kaban stands up and runs back into her room without saying a word.

Outside, the sun is slowly setting and the night begins to fall, out of the apartment in the ground floor, Auron, Erika, Mirai and Nanaha say good bye, each one followed by their respective Friends, the kids are returning to their respective homes while Mirai looks up at Kaban's apartment one more time before leaving.

The clock hits 10pm and Kaban is still behind the door of her room, prostrated, the girl is lost in her own mind until someone knocks the door.

Kaban opens the door slowly and peeks, Raccoon and Serval have been sitting in front of the door for hours, they look at her with a worried expression.

W-what is it? –She asks while rubbing her eyes, red from sobbing all the evening.

I'm sorry Kaban, we were waiting for you to come out – Explains Raccoon.

But we have no clue, about this "cooking stuff", and we are kind of hungry… - Finishes Serval

The girl jumps shocked looking at the window and noticing how everything outside is pitch black, she opens the door completely, both of the animal girls have been waiting for Kaban to come out in the dark of the apartment, obviously unaware of how bulbs work, and starving.

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I lost track of the time, give me a moment and I'll get dinner ready!-

Kaban washes her face and comes out of the room, switching the lights one, the living room is empty but clean, almost as if nobody ever was there before, in the table, a letter likely written by Mirai was left there for her, but Kaban decided to don't look at it.

As the girl got busy taking the food out of the fridge and switching the oven on, Raccoon and Serval sat in silence in the table, looking at Kaban, she realizes this and turns to them, holding the girl by their cheeks with her hands.

I'm sorry I made you worried, I'm ok now- She says with a sad tone of voice.

She keeps petting the girls until they smile from the tickles it gave them. Her cellphone rings, Erika is messaging her, she picks up and goes back to the kitchen.

Erika: Yo! How are you feeling?

Kaban: I'm doing better, sorry if I made you worry.

Erika: Don't sweat it, just take your time like you always do alright?

Kaban: Thank you.

Erika: Hehe.

Kaban: What happened after a left?

Erika: Well, Mirai keep telling us stuff from the game, erhm… just ask Auron or Nanaha tomorrow on school.

Kaban: Ok.

Erika: How are Raccoon and Serval?

Kaban: Hungry, I making them dinner right now.

Erika: We got pizza not so long ago; Fennec sure is a fun girl.

Kaban looks twice at the screen before keep on typing.

Kaban: You took Fennec home!? What did your parents said?

Erika: Well it was… I'm not really sure, you see; Mirai went to home with us and talked to my parents and now Fennec is living with us.

Kaban: I kind of want and don't want to know what she did to convince them.

Erika: Same here.

Kaban: What about Auron and Nanaha?

Erika: They also took their Friends home, Nanaha she had an idea for Rhino to stay, but I don't know what Auron will do.

Kaban: I see…

Erika: It feels like those times when we brought little animals to home.

Kaban: Ah, I did that too.

She laughs whiles giving a taste test to the mix in the pot she was cooking.

Erika: Mirai left a letter to you explaining everything you didn't hear when you were in your room.

Kaban: I saw it, but I'm not sure if I want to read it.

Erika: You should… is important.

Kaban: … what did she said to you?

Erika: Well, she was very explicit, for now she can give a blind eye to what you decide, but if you don't play the game… they may consider taking Raccoon and Serval from you.

Kaban look at the message with no surprise whatsoever, she felt that coming already, but the idea of having to meet that creatures again just filled her heart with fear.

Erika: You still there? I know is hard and you haven't had a nice experience this two days but…

Kaban: …

Erika: I don't know what they will do to Fennec if they take her, so I'll keep her with me.

Kaban: Eri…

Erika: I'm the coolest, right? … we can't believe in everything Mirai told us.

Kaban: Yes, you're right.

Erika: So I know is not easy, but you will have to overcome your fears if you want those two to stay with you.

Kaban: I understand, thank you, Erika, for all your help.

Erika: Cool girls have to help each other after all!

The conversation finished there saying good night to each other, Kaban delivers three plates with curry rice on the table, and Raccoon and Serval rush for the spoons and eat. Kaban eats slowly while watching Raccoon constantly clean her face after each curry spoon messing her cheeks with red, meanwhile Serval devours her food without breathing.

I'm sorry my recipe repertory is curry and other simple things – Kaban says all of a sudden making the other two stop eating.

This "curry" is good! Fennec told us about it, so don't worry! –Raccoon shout with an energetic voice while cleaning her mouth once again.

Kabanf foof if supef delifious –Says Serval, mouth full of rice.

The girl laughs and gives Serval a glass of water, who quickly gulps it down and finally breaths normally, leaving the late white clean.

Curry rice sure is delicious! Kaban food is really something else! –Serval tells her smiling, cheeks and lips with red stains.

"It was instant curry, on top of it" Kaban thinks, and then stands up, the girls look at her confused.

Since things have calmed down, why don't we take a bath? –The girl moves to the bathroom and prepares the bathtub.

She suddenly stops and blushes thinking of what she said.

Do you girls… did Fennec told you… how to undress? –She covers her face with both hands embarrassed.

She said we had to undress to take baths but she didn't say what it was "undress" or how.

Fennec… - Kaban exasperates flustered.

In the half of hour it takes for the bathtub to fill with warm water, Kaban, shy but with a firm voice, explains to them how to undress and wash their bodies, which are followed for even more awkward explanations, specially about why and how to use the toilet.

Once the tub is ready, the three of them go into the bathroom and undress, Kaban does her best to don't stare at them, yet the other two who are filled with innocent curiosity keep poking each other body parts and looking at Kaban's body from head to toe.

From minute to minute, the girl's heartbeat raises, small peeks at Serval scrubbing her arms and legs makes the girl heart drive out of limits, she gives up and stands, putting her towel and walking outside the bathroom, the other two animal girls walk to the door but Kaban forces it to close.

Y-you too go in first! T-there's no space for three people on the tub anyway! Don't stay too long! –The girl screams and runs away.

She goes to her room and wears a bath coat over the towel, then goes to the living room to watch TV. Alone with her thoughts, Kaban looks back at the letter, still on the table, once again, she chooses not opening it.

Fifteen minutes passes and she hears Raccoon sneeze loudly, she then hurries to the bathroom and tells them to get out before they catch a cold. She guides them to her room and gives them each one pajamas of her own before leaving to finish taking a bath.

Are you going to keep us? –

This question shakes Kaban, she had made out the bathroom and went to her room to wear her pajamas, Raccon and Serval where there waiting for her to pay them attention, once she asked what was going on, Raccoon dropped that words.

They looked at Kaban with a sad expression, it seems they have been talking about it to each other all day.

I believe I understand –Serval starts talking - Both times Kaban got hurt, and I couldn't protect you from getting hurt –She continues, with a sad smile - My world suddenly is more bigger than it was before, I'm not sure what do now –

Serval…- Kaban covers her mouth trying not to cry.

We aren't the strongest, or the most intelligent, but we want to protect Kaban –Raccoon says – If battling Ceruleans is too hard for Kaban, we will go with Miss Mirai, if that means protecting you we want to do the right thing! –

Kaban jumps to them at verge of tears and hugs them both by the neck.

I want to keep you… both of you! I know it just have been two days… but I can't think of a future without you! – Kaban hugs them tightly – You are my best friends, Raccoon, Serval, I don't want to lost you.

The room is filled with sobbing giggles from the three girls, mixed and complex feelings in the air, the clock hits midnight and the lights are switch off, they all fall asleep on the same bed. With Kaban being sandwiched between the two girl bodies, she looks at the night on the window then at Raccoon and Serval, she finds her way to wrap each other between her arms as they rest their heads over her chest.

"Maybe tomorrow will be a better day" The girl whispers before falling asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

An early morning breeze of September, announcing the upcoming of fall, makes sneeze the young girl who is walking to school today. The ring of a bell behind her makes Kaban turn around, Erika waves at her with a big smile and slows once it reaches to her.

Good morning~ walking to school today? –The girl asks while resting her head on the steering wheel.

Yes, for now I don't think I'll ride the train again… –Kaban answers with a troubled smile.

The two keep together on an awkward silence, Kaban notices Erika is not riding her usual bike, she decides to break the ice.

Is that bike new? Did you buy it? –

Ah, this? Mirai gifted it to me, I lost the other one yesterday –

That's nice! You've been talking of getting a new one for a while –

I hope it doesn't break on the next BMX tournament –

You still go to those? No wonder why your scores are falling lately –

Aw, now you're talking like my mom –

They laugh and chat until Erika convinces Kaban to ride with her, she sits on the carrier, Erika continues driving until they reach a public avenue and they meet with a big crowd who cheers and screams at a girl on the center of the commotion at the street.

Erika smiles and gestures at the girl, Kaban takes a more proper look and gets shook, the girl is inside of a giant, translucent green box, with a snake shaped Cerulean menacing at her.

With a loud scream, Kaban quickly turns back scared, she covers her ears from the noise of the crowd and shuts her eyes from watching, Erika gently pats her back and insists to keep looking.

Why don't take a better look at it, Kaban –The girl suggest while rubbing her back.

The noises from the crowd gets louder from time to time, Kaban slowly opens her eyes and turns back at the box, holding tight on Erika's shirt. Besides the girl and the Cerulean, a Friend is inside of the box, a Japanese Crested Ibis, who is beating the snake Cerulean into the ground.

E-erika…? – Kaban asks with a trembling voice.

Yes? –

W-why… no one is scared? –

Like I said, take a better look of it, look at the Cerulean –

Kaban does as her friends says and notices what was she referring to, on the tip of its tail lies a core rock, similar to the others on the game and completely different from the other ones she had faced this last two days.

But that's not all, Kaban fears decrease just as the same rate her curiosity raises, the Cerulean follows a fight pattern, it even reacts the same way when it gets hurt, the Ibis acts the same way, the schoolgirl from behind pressing buttons on her phone, commanding the bird-girl.

Erika smiles one more time and rides away from the spectacle, in the distance Kaban sees the Cerulean and the Friend glitch for a second, the girl is confused and curious, waiting for her friend to explain what is happening.

"Beta Version" –Erika gently drops it after a while.

The version they were going to deploy in the first place? –

Yes, what you saw was nothing but high… reso… resolution holograms, or so she said-

Mirai did? –

Yes, they used the events on school and the train station and pretended it was publicity for the launching of the game –

Erika pushes the breaks when reaching a traffic light, staring carefully at Kaban, she holds her by the chin with one hand and checks her head all over.

So you didn't read the letter –The girl says letting her friend's head go.

Well… wait, how do you know that just by checking my head? –

You would know if you had read the letter, you dumb head –

Rude –

The light changes and Erika rides on, the girls don't talk again until they reach school and once inside the classroom, they find another commotion, Nanaha at the center of the scandal.

The girls drop their bags on their chairs and make their way through the students where Nanaha is. Sitting over the desk, her ribbon loose, her shirt untucked, her skirt shorter and a pony tail made with a sparkly hair bun, aggressively typing on her phone while slurping on a lollipop, Nanaha looks at the girls come to her desk, pulling out the candy, she stands up and gives each one a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Hey there! Happy to see you in school Kaban –The girl says with a cheerful voice.

H-hi, Nanaha… ? What's gotten into you all of a sudden? – Kaban asks embarrassed from the kiss.

Nanaha reacts confused then giggles, without saying a word she gestures showing her clothes and turning around before giving a lick to the lollipop in the most seductive way she finds.

Ah! You mean this? This is how I actually am, and it feels good –She tells to the girls, again, with a cheerful voice.

How you actually are? –Erika walks to her side, they look at each other; their way of dressing is almost the same.

Like –Nanaha takes the candy out of her mouth again- After what happened in this last two days I decided that life is too short to pretend being someone I'm not –The girl raises her hands and shrugs.

So you're dropping the top-student-president-act? –Erika takes her lollipop and puts it inside her mouth, Kaban explodes on embarrassment as everyone else on the classroom keeps looking and murmuring.

From the door, a boy smashes the door open, Auron goes into the classroom with a pissed-off expression, the boy looks at the crowd and instantly walks and stands in front of Nanaha, with a menacing expression, he scares the students away, Kaban smiles and bows to him, the kid smiles her back with a grin.

Glad to see you on school, Kaban, I was worried you won't come today- The boy tells her with an energetic tone of voice she never heard from him before.

Y-yes! I'm feeling kind of better today, but… –she turns around with her usual troubled expression, looking at the two sparkly girls.

Nanaha and Auron share smiles as a salute, the girl gestures to Erika and she gives her back the lollipop.

Like I was saying –She puts the candy back on her mouth without thinking twice.

"I-is this a kid's version of when delinquents share a cigar?" Kaban thought.

This is me, I can still be the top student of school, but I'm dropping the whole "diligent girl" act –Nanaha finishes and hands the lollipop to Kaban who holds on it with the tip of her fingers and the most awkward smile.

Kaban looks at the arm Nanaha used to hand her the candy, she's not wearing the President Band, frowning, Kaban opens her mouth but before she asks Nanaha grabs the hand she's using to hold the candy and pushes it inside her mouth.

The girl heart beat rises and her face explodes on red once again, Erika and Nanaha giggle as Kaban licks on the candy, flustered and beaten.

Don't worry, I was only there to please my parents –Nanaha tells the girl while playing with the little stick on Kaban's mouth- So don't think much about it alright? –

Kaban gives her a small smile and the discussion ends there, the ring bells and everyone goes back to their chairs. The professor comes in and classes start.

In the other side of town, back inside of Kaban's apartment, Raccoon and Serval are just finishing her breakfast, in silence and still with a lack of skill with the chopsticks; they eat their rice and drink their soup.

The moment they finish, Raccoon claps her hands and stays silent with eyes closed; Serval looks her fellow and copies her.

Raccoon, what are we doing? –Serval asks with her eyes closed.

I saw Kaban and others doing this, they do it to pay their respects to the ones who did the food –Raccoon answers, still gesturing.

Shouldn't we just thank Kaban for the food when she comes back? –Serval opens an eye and looks at her.

I'm not sure –She says with a shaky voice.

How longer do we have to stay like this? –The cat-girl trembles.

I'm… not sure either –Raccoon opens her eyes worried she didn't though that well.

Serval stands and shakes her skirt, she walks to the living room and opens the window of the balcony completely; closing her eyes she breaths deeply for a long time.

KABAN! THANKS FOR THE BREAKFAST! –She screams from the window.

W-what are you doing!? –Raccoon jumps startled, running and shaking her by the ribbon, Serval giggles uncontrollably.

I just thought this way was faster to thank Kaban, want to do it too? –The cat-girl asks and Raccoon stares at her, hardly convinced.

I'm not sure… -

Let's do it together! If we scream louder she would hear us better! –Serval insists with a happy face.

If… if you say so… -

They stand side to side and breathe as deep as they can.

KABAN! THANKS FOR THE BREAKFAST! –The Friends scream then break on laughter together.

A-are you sure she can hear that? –Raccoon asks trying to stop laughing.

Yes! Kaban is amazing after all! –Serval tells the girl waving her arms.

With the window closed, they pick up the dishes and take them to the sink; remembering Kaban instructions, they wash the dishes carefully. Raccoon, absorbed in the way the soap cleans the dirt from the dishes, let's one of the plates slip out from her hands, but Serval jumps and catches it, hitting her head with the ceiling and falling back with her butt on the floor.

Done with the dishes, Raccoon picks the remote control of TV and switch it on, this time; following Fennec instructions, she presses the buttons and puts a channel with cartoons for little kids to learn words, numbers and modals.

The girls laugh when they get right the tasks the cartoon characters ask them and start sobbing when they get it wrong constantly, Serval would repeatedly get pissed and try to smash the TV because of the cartoon villains in the shows just to be held back from the waist by Raccoon.

After two hours of TV, the morning section ends and the news on the channel begins, frustrated from not understanding the reports of "economy" and "politics" they nod to each other and put the TV off.

Lying on the floor, Raccoon stares at the ceiling with a frustrated expression while Serval plays around trying to catch a fly that got into the house. Raccoon turns to Serval and gets more frustrated watching how the cat-girl just follows the fly around, hypnotized. The minutes pass and the echoes of the leak from the sink and the tic-tac from the clock on the wall echoes so loud on her head she can't stand it anymore.

Serval! –She stands and yells to the cat-girl who jumps surprised and holds tight in the ceiling.

R-raccoon!? What is it all of a sudden? –Servals trembles while trying to get back on the floor.

Is just… I feel like we should be doing something! –Raccoon holds on her skirt frustrated.

Something? Want to play with me? I'm sure the two of us can catch that little thing! –She clenches her fist and Raccoon gets angrier.

Not like that! Not like that! –The girl throws a tantrum.

W-what do you want to do then? –Serval asks confused and a bit scared.

I'm… not sure –

Raccoon stares up on the ceiling and pouts loudly as she thinks, then smiles from ear to ear and holds Serval from her hands.

Cleaning! Let's clean! This whole "house"! –She jumps repeatedly, hyped from her idea.

Eh? Cleaning? Like when you were in the bathroom the other day? –Serval wonders reluctantly.

Yes, like that, but now this whole thing! –She says extending her arms.

Is that fun? –The cat-girl insists, definitely not convinced.

Is not about having fun! –Raccoon scolds her.

Eh!? Then why are we going to clean!? –Serval pouts, ready to throw a tantrum too.

Is just –Raccoon's hype suddenly stops, with a swing of moods, she looks down on the floor- Don't you feel we are a bother for Kaban? –

Ah… -Serval frowns and digs on her thoughts, her ears waving- I thought we talked about that yesterday? –

Yes but…! –Raccoon reacts angry –I still feel like we are bothering Kaban.

Why is that? –

The cat-girl sits on the floor while asking her, she gestures to Raccoon and the girl sits in front of her.

Do you remember how in the game we had Boss give us Japari Buns? –Raccoon asks making a gesture with her hand.

Serval nods with a serious expression.

And when we needed water, shelter and other things we just got them ourselves? –The girl asks again with a serious face.

Serval nods twice, copying Raccoon serious face.

But now we are in this thing called "house", and Kaban is the one who gives us food, water and shelter –The Raccoon expresses it with a sad tone of voice.

I think I get and don't what you're trying to say –The cat-girl says frowning.

Right? That's why I think we have to help Kaban and clean the "house"! –Raccoon extends her arms again, her happy attitude coming back.

Ah! –Serval opens her mouth smiling, understanding Raccoon's idea- Alright! Then let's give Kaban a hand and clean! Yay!-

Back in school lunch time starts, groups of people run to the cafeteria and others go out with their lunch boxes to eat together, Kaban looks around, not even Erika is there, with her usual troubled smile she takes her lunch box and walks to the roof, where she usually eats.

The girl trembles now and then, having flashbacks of the destroyed classrooms and the multiple creatures which two days ago infested the school halls, now students walk on it like nothing ever happened, there aren't even rumors about it, Kaban walks up the stairs and reaches the rooftop, she sits on a corner with her back leaning on the fence and begins to eat, just like she's used to do.

"Everyone seems to have changed a lot in these two days" The girl thinks, recalling the attitudes of her friends this morning.

She looks at her lunch box while trying to pick a cherry tomato; she stabs the tomato with a chopstick and eats it.

"Everyone but me…"

The door of the rooftop opens once again and startles Kaban, surprised but happy, the girl looks at Erika peek her head outside the door and gesturing someone from the other side, she joins Kaban with a bag filled with food, followed by Auron and Nanaha who are holding beverages and snacks, they sit on a circle and distribute the food, Auron gives Kaban one of the drinks, the smile of the girl gets bigger every minute, her cheeks gently fluster on happiness.

I'm really curious to know –Nanaha says while munching on a rice ball- Auron, what did you do? –

What do you mean? –The boy asks before swallowing his fried noodles.

Well, everyone found away for our Friends to stay in our homes, but what did you do? Mirai wasn't with you when you went home – Everyone looks at the boy after that.

I explained everything to my sister; that is all –He says without thinking twice.

And you sister bought it!? –Erika asks impressed.

We are really close despite she's never in home –Auron sips on his can of juice- she's also a cop, she treats me to take me to the station if I ever lie to her –The guy ends with a depressive tone.

The girls give him an awkward laugh, feeling like they shouldn't have asked.

Nanaha what about you? –Kaban asks while giving half of her egg roll to Erika.

I introduced Rhino into my family as my personal maid, she's now living in the house as part of the staff –

Everyone feels more troubled with this answer than how they felt with Auron's.

I just invented some random story about her being poor and their parents never being in home and how I just wanted to give some help to a dear friend –She continues, making things turn more awkward.

That is twisted, Nanaha –Erika complains.

Is just a big white lie, nothing bad will come from it –Nanaha points her chopsticks to Erika –What about you? –

I… -Erika turns her face to a side, her expression suddenly changes.

The kids look at the girl confused, her voice trembles.

Like you all know, Mirai was the one who talked to my parents… but –

But? – Everyone asks in unison.

She was watching TV when I went to sleep… and when I woke up for college she was gone-

… Maybe she went to visit Raccoon? –Nanaha quickly asks to Kaban but she shakes her head.

Is Fennec who we're talking about, she must be fine, wherever she is –Auron says trying to make the tension drop.

They keep joking about Fennec whereabouts until everyone finishes eating, as Auron picks up the trash inside the bag, the tone of the conversation gradually changes.

Kaban, have you choose what you're going to do? –Nanaha asks.

You mean about playing the game? I'm not sure myself –

Did Erika already explain to you we are going to fight Beta Ceruleans right? –

Kind of –The girl nods and continues- But still… the idea is kind of difficult for me now –

Mirai asked us to play as a favor –Auron interrupts- But it was more an order than a favor, after all, they can take our Friends away from us if we don't play –

That's exactly the problem –Nanaha agrees with him.

But who exactly are "them"? –Erika interrupts now.

Is not like a company that makes phone games can support everything they have done so far –Auron looks up at the sky while talking- This people probably either work for the government or a wealthy investor with politic power –

And there's still the "Director" Caracal and Mirai mentioned… –Kaban adds.

After some minutes of silence, Auron continues.

For now we should just play by their rules –

Yeah, we must thank Mirai for everything she did, but we shouldn't blindly trust her –Nanaha says with her usual serious tone of voice.

Amazing… –Kaban whispers, everyone looks at her confused.

A-ah! I mean! –She nervously gestures with her hands- Is kind of amazing how you guys are handling this situation… I still can't even… –She doesn't finish the phrase.

The girl looks down and crosses her finger, giving a sad sigh she tears up a little, slowly, hands from the three kids gently holds over hers, she lifts her head up, everyone is in front of her and gently rubbing her hands.

"Don't worry, different friends are good at different things" –Erika says with a smile.

That's what she would say to you in this situation –Nanaha adds and agrees.

Yes… thank you so much –The girl smiles holding their hands back.

Hah! –Erika smirks –Lucky you to have a girlfriend, who would have thought your 2D crush would turn out real –

Kaban turns awfully red all of a sudden, the kids laugh at her frenetically as if they just were waiting to make that comment from a long time.

W-w-w-what are you talking about!? –Kaban stands up, her legs and her lips shaking on embarrassment.

Well, aren't you a lesbian? –Nanaha says while pointing at Erika with a finger, the gyaru looks aside and whistles nervously.

Erika!? –Kaban screams furiously while shaking her from the shoulders, Erika avoids visual contact with her as much as possible.

There, there, we are just messing with you, nothing serious –Auron adds, trying to calm down Kaban.

The girl loses all the strength left on her legs and falls on the floor, covering her face with both hands, she's dying from embarrassment, feeling the heartbeat on her chest like is going to jump to explode, the kids look at her feeling the guilty from their comment.

Kaban, Kaban, is not like we mind what kind of person you like! –Nanaha waves her hands, trying to apologize- We never thought it was weird! –

R-really? –Kaban asks with a shaky voice.

Y-yes! We just were joking about your crush being 2D –Auron adds nervously.

You… you won't tell me is wrong? –The girls ask again, the kids feel the weight of her words, making them sad.

… We would never tell you something like that –Nanaha holds both of her hands.

There's nothing wrong with it, or with you –does Auron say, petting her head.

With the girl calmed down and after having their friends properly apologize, they all stand up and walk inside the building. Once inside in the third floor, Erika stops to throw the trash in the bins, she stares at Kaban freely chatting with Auron and Nanaha, the girl smiles while depositing the final can and hurrying to go back with them.

"I guess I was worried about nothing" She thinks, while joining the conversation.

Auron looks up at the ceiling thinking and starts talking.

Kaban was the only one who didn't talk about her Friends, you let them at home, did you? –

Ah… yes, yes, I promised them to buy ice cream on the way back, they saw it on TV and they wanted to try it out –Kaban tells him nervously.

The boy holds her by the shoulders scared.

You can't promise them candies every time you go out! –He yells at her shocked.

E-eh!? Why not? –

Because if they like it… they would empty your wallet by buying the same candy every time –The boy says looking to a side, with a sad tone of voice.

S-sounds like you're having a rough time –Kaban tries to remove his hands out of her shoulders.

Yes… –Auron lets Kaban go and turns on a gloomy mood- My savings will run out eventually from buying snickers for them –

Oh c'mon! –Erika and Nanaha tell him together, making the boy blush.

Let's talk when you have to argue with 3 girls whit a beast type appetite and are 50 times stronger than you –

The two girls stare at him, picturing the situation and suddenly changing their expressions.

Sounds like you're having a rough time –Both say with a face full of condolence.

Thanks for understanding… I guess –The boy scratches his head and returns to walk together with them –

Turning in one of the halls, they find a little group of girls cheerfully gossiping, all of them circling a girl in the center, Nanaha notices and looks angry at them.

Hey you! It may be lunch time but you can't do this commotion on the halls! –The girl points at them and the girld turn back, staring at her confused- Ah, right –She holds on her left arm where she usually puts her band- Ah, right, I'm not the president anymore… hehe –

The kids laugh at her while the girls go back to their conversation, Erika gives a peek to the girl in the center, then jumps and screams, aggressively pointing at her.

YOU! –Erika screams startling everyone in the hall.

Fennec comes out from the circle and waves her hand, wearing one of Erika's school uniforms; she walks to the kids with her usual smug smile.

Yo, Erika! –The fox girl giggles, aware of what she has done.

Ahhh, I'm getting tired of you yo-ing me –Erika massages her head stressed- Ok, what are you doing on here? –

I thought staying in home was boring, so I took one of your uniforms and sneak in your school –

Not even a trace of guilty in her voice… –Kaban whispers.

You just will get us in trouble! For starters low your tail! Is lifting your skirt and everyone can see your panties! – Erika yells, pointing at her rear.

Is that so? –Fennec turns to look behind her and Nanaha quickly covers Auron eyes.

D-don't do that! –Embarrassed, Erika hurries to fix Fennec skirt.

The bell rings announcing the end of lunch time, the group of girls who were hanging with Fennec quickly grab her from the collar of her shirt, dragging her away.

Hey! Where are you going!? This isn't over! –Erika screams stepping on the floor furiously.

I'll see you when school ends! I found something interesting you guys will want to see! –Fennec tells her with a shaky voice from being pulled away.

Something… interesting? –They all ask out loud confused.

A-anyway! –Kaban interrupts waving her hands- If we don't hurry up we'll be late for class! –

Right, better get going –Auron nods and starts walking.

Erika, c'mon, you can talk to her later –Nanaha takes her by the arm and pulls her with the kids.

The school grilles open with the last ring of the bells, the girls and the boys run out of the school grounds, others stay on the classrooms just to be scolded by the other members of the student council, and others, just like Kaban and her group, walk out of the school chatting and laughing, whit the exception of Erika who uses her jacket to cover Fennec from being spotted by the professors on the entrance.

After walking a block, Fennec throws the jacket away and Nanaha catches it, Erika pulls Fennec from the right cheek out of fury, the fox-girl keeps her smug expression regardless, the kids look helpless at the scene.

So!? What was this "interesting" thing you wanted to tell us? –Erika says pulling on her cheek even harder, the skin slips from her fingers and bounces back to Fennec's cheek like gum.

When I was walking to your school… –The fox-girl tells rubbing the hurt cheek looking at the other kids- I happen to find more Friends –She concludes, pulling Erika's cheek.

Wait, hold on –Nanaha walks to separate them- More Friends? Are you sure? –

Yes –Fennec insists while trying to reach Erika and pull her cheeks- One of the students here left them on a café, I know because I followed them to school -

Why Mirai wouldn't tell us there were more people who were part of the Alpha version? –Auron asks to Fennec, but she's just shrugs, distracted fighting with Erika.

Kaban and the boy join Nanaha to separate the girls and end the conflict, then Fennec spaces out looking at the other side of the street.

There, that's the one –The fox-girl gestures at a student.

A long, red-haired girl with a skirt that reaches her ankles happily skips on the sidewalk, when Fennec waves at her; she looks confused, but quickly crosses the street to meet with the group. She stands in front of Auron and smiles wide.

Auron! Is really you? I can't believe it! It's me! Do you remember me? Akizuki! A-ki-zu-ki! I can't believe you're in the same school as me!–The girl holds on her smile with her pinkies and the other girls stares at Auron confused.

He stutters, staring at the girl in silence, digging on his memories but he just can't come with an answer.

C'mon! –The girl pouts and hits him softly with the elbow –We were besties in middle school! –

The boy focuses and recalls on his memories from middle school, shocked, he smiles from ear to ear.

Akizuki!? That Akizuki!? –He points out at the girl.

Oh you! –She hits him again in the shoulder, blushed- I can't believe you forgot about me! –

W-well, you have changed a lot! –He exclaims nervously.

Me? But if I always have been this cute! –Akizuki strikes a pose.

Ahem! Sorry to interrupt your reunion but –Nanaha meddles with a serious expression.

Ah, yes, sorry –Auron bows to Nanaha and turns back to Akizuki- Hey, I know this is out of the blue but –He pauses and blushes- D-do you happen to have game characters with you that turned real? –

Akizuki remains silent and frozed, her expression changes and acts nervous, with a shaky voice.

W-what are you saying out of the blue? –She waves her hands around- I-i d-don't know anything about that! –

No, I mean, because we have them too –Auron points at Fennec behind his back.

Yo! –The fox-girl waves to Akizuki.

Ah! She's the girl who was following me around –Akizuki yells impressed at Auron- Are you telling me she's not cosplaying!? She's Fennec from Cerulean Crisis!? –

Y-yes, you are going to leave me deaf, Akizuki –The boy turns and covers an ear.

But Miss Mirai never mentioned other Alpha players! – She walks to Fennec and plays with her ears, the fox-girl purrs.

"So Mirai do knows more Alpha users" the kids stared at each other, sharing the same thought.

Akizuki smiles and holds all the girls by their hands.

This is amazing! –She says waving their hands- I know! Let's talk about it at the café! Alpaca, Ibis and Koala will LOVE to know there are more Friends! –The girl walks and strikes another pose- Let's go!

She restarts her skip-walk without a second thought; the kids don't even have time to think and they run to don't lose the sight of the girl.

S-she sure is an upbeat person isn't she? –Kaban stutters while running.

How didn't you know your middle school friend was in the same high school? Middle school wasn't so long ago –Erika scolds Auron.

W-well, she changed a lot! –The guy exclaims nervously.

How much could have she changed? –Nanaha wonders.

Do you mean because of her wig? Well it sure is messy –Erika tells to Auron, who shoos her instantly

Eh? That was a wig? –Kaban asks confused.

Hey dudes! –Akizuki yells, still far away- Hurry up or I'm leaving you behind! –

Ah! Geez! Is she using Wild Charge!? –Fennec pants like crazy.

Unable to beat the surprising speed of the skip-walking girl, Akizuki turns back now and then to wait for the kids, they get in the city in no time, beaten, Akizuki apologizes from making them run and walks along with them.

Nanaha suggest to bring their Friends to the café as they walk deeper into the city, Auron nods and explains Lion and her group can make their way alone but Kaban doubts she can give such task to her animal-girls, Nanaha again, suggest to let Rhino pick them up and Kaban agrees with a smile.

Ah, I thought we were going to Harajuku –Erika tells to Akizuki as they walk far from the station.

Everyone says that! But the café is an old one from my parents, so is not a Cosplay café! –The girl gestures with her hand apologizing.

A normal coffee shop near to Harajuku certainly sounds uncommon – Nanaha adds impressed.

The kids walk into a quiet street with a couple of apartment buildings and warehouses. Just in the corner of the avenue, lies small, old building made of bricks with the "café" sign on the top, the door opens before they reach it, a couple walk out the place smiling as a happy Alpaca Suri, wearing a bartender suit waves them goodbye.

Oh, is the real deal –Auron exclaims.

Right!? Doesn't she look adorable? –Akizuki runs to Alpaca, waving at her.

Akizuki? Ah, welcome back –She says with a gentle tone.

Were those who left clients? How was it? Was it difficult? –The girls makes little jumps.

Yes, we followed your instructions as you said and everything went well –Alpaca nods.

That's great, I was worried you'll be troubled without me around –Akizuki sighs of relief.

Akizuki, who are those with you? –She says pointing at the kids.

You won't GUESS what happen –The girl tells Alpaca and walks inside the shop then pops up her head from the door- You guys come and make yourself at home, I'm going to change! –

She just does as she wants –Erika whispers exhausted.

For now let's go in… –Kaban suggest the kids.

Once inside, they are welcome with the smell of coffee beans and face the old but cozy shop, made with bricks and with wood upholstery, the detailed chairs and tables and the old lamps and ceiling fans, a piano near to a bar stand in the bottom of the store, everything creating an atmosphere of tranquility and charming luxury.

Instantly enchanted with the place, the kids follow Alpaca who guides them to a big table where they sit, Fennec quickly opens conversation with the girl and the kids stare at them happily.

Oh, more clients already? –Says a girl with a tiny, sweet tone of voice from afar.

Wearing a black anime-style maid uniform, short sleeves, showing half of her back, mini skirt, black stockings with suspenders and heels, a Japanese Crested Ibis Friend appears fluttering on the ceiling, when Alpaca gestures at Fennec, the girl reacts excited and hits one of the fan with her head, falling on the floor.

Geez, Ibis, that's why Akizuki told you to don't fly inside here –Alpaca leans a hand to the girl.

Sorry, I just was surprised to find Fennec here –She giggles and grabs Alpaca's hand that helps her stand up.

And even more are coming this way –Fennec adds.

Really!? Ah, how nice! Alpaca, there are more of us here, isn't that great? –She holds tight on Alpacas hands, interlacing fingers.

Yes, is nice indeed –Alpaca giggles on happiness.

Oh, and you guys are? –The girl spots the kids who laugh awkwardly at her comment.

They're Akizuki friends –Alpaca gestures at Ibis.

Akizuki has friends? –The bird-girl wonders surprised, more awkward laughs.

Ibis, don't be rude, you're making the clients wait, where you put the menus? –

I'm sorry I forgot them on the bar; I'll pick 'em up and go back on a blink –She tells the kids as she flies away.

Careful don't hit your head again! –Alpaca yells at her worried.

Excuse, Alpaca… -Kaban raises her hand and everyone turns at her.

Yes?-

I've been wondering for a while but, what is the name of this café? –

Ah, of course this is the Japari Café! – She says extending her arm.

The kids look at each other worried, Fennec stares at them confused.

Do we tell her? –Nanaha whispers.

No way, let Akizuki tell her –Erika whispers back.

But what if Akizuki never tells her? –Kaban adds.

The lawyer will make them know –Auron replies laughing.

Don't say something like that, poor Akizuki –Nanaha hits twice the wooden table.

Alpaca looks at them confused; Fennec can hear them but doesn't follow.

Sorry to make you wait! –

Akizuki jumps from a door near a bar stand, wearing the same maid uniform Ibis has, walks to the kids and strikes a pose.

How is it? Does it suit me? –Akizuki asks playing with her skirt.

It looks good on you –Kaban hurries to answer.

It looks good but –Nanaha interrupts- Didn't you say this wasn't a Cosplay café? –

Eh? Yes I did, why you ask? –

Well, your maid uniforms ARE from a Cosplay-like café –Nanaha tells pointing at the girl from head to toes.

Really!? You mean maids don't dress like this!? –Akizuki stomps on the table astonished.

Everyone can't help but give her a troubled smile, Ibis looks at her uniform and worries too, but Alpaca tells her she looks just fine.

Ahem! Akizuki –Nanaha continues –For starters, maids don't show that much of skin –

Isn't an important part to look sexy? –Akizuki leans further in the table, Nanaha draws back.

Like I'm telling you, that is just Cosplay –

Ah, right, Nanaha is rich so she has maids in her house –Erika gestures while remembers the conversation in the roof, Auron and Kaban follow her with the same expression.

Really!? Are you that rich!? You have maids and butlers? How do they dress? –

The hyped girl just won't stop, she's half body over the desk waving her legs, Nanaha is cornered on the table.

Well, you see… –

Nanaha tries to explain but the door of the shop suddenly opens, a familiar figure comes in.

Good timing, let her show it to you –

Rhino comes inside wearing a Victorian maid uniform, she walks slowly towards Nanaha and bows to her, folding her skirt, Akizuki stands again and looks perplexed at the Friend who gives her a gentle smile, Raccoon and Serval follow her with caution until they see Kaban, the animal girls jump on the table to squish her friend.

Lady Nanaha, I have come and brought the others like you asked –Rhino speaks with a formal tone of voice.

Oh this is the real deal! Is so different! –Akizuki checks Rhino up and down.

Yeah, she's really into it –Nanaha tells the kids with proud- The moment she got a hand on the dress her personality changed, I wonder if is because her armor skills.

In the other side of the table, Kaban was being suffocated by the arms of the girls and something more.

P-please! Pull back! I can't breathe! –Kaban begs until the girls let her go- W-why do you smell so much of chemicals? –Kaban coughs and cover her nose next.

The girls smell each other confused.

I found them like that when I went to the apartment –Rhino adds holding her hands together.

Well, you know… –Raccoon says gesturing to Serval.

The truth is, we were cleaning! –Serval gestures back Raccoon.

And we let the home sparkling clean! –Raccoon finishes and the girls strike an apparent victory pose.

Kaban pictures Raccoon cleaning on the house just like she did with the bathroom and her smile grows from ear to ear, but her happiness doesn't last much as she adds the Serval factor on the cleaning, she looks down, hoping the best.

I-I can't wait to see your work girls… thank you –Kaban lies with a shaky voice and the kids stare at her with pity.

Anyway –Akizuki cover her nose walking to the girls- Why don't you follow me to the change room? I'll have your clothes clean before you go –

Really? Sorry for the trouble, Akizuki, I appreciate it –Kaban bows to the girl.

Akizuki takes Serval and Raccoon to the change room and later Ibis appers with the menus for the kids. Once the orders are taken, Alpaca walks to the bar stand, which is filled with coffee pots of many types and cups and mugs of many shapes and colors, two glass coffee makers and a wooden coffee grinder.

It doesn't take much for the animal-girl to fill the shop with the aroma of freshly made coffee. Lion, Aurochs and Oryx come next to the shop, the three girls engage a long, happy chat with Ibis as Auron and Erika move another table and chairs for everyone to sit together. After some minutes, the changing room opens again.

Just like a switch was flipped inside or Fennec and Kaban, the girls howl just like the old wolf cartoon when Raccoon and Serval come out wearing the maid uniform of the store, breathing heavy and smashing the door, the girls desperately walk out the table, the other kids and Friends look at them feeling out of place.

K-kaban!? What is it? Does it look weird on me? –Serval trembles having Kaban checking on her meticulously.

Not at all, it fits you well, you look so good –The girl asks, panting, looking at the cat-girl's nude back.

Erika, a picture, takes us a picture –Fennec wraps Raccoon tight from the waist, also panting.

Fennec you're making me feel weird! Let me go! –Raccoon begs on a shaky voice with a flustered face.

Erika stands up and grabs the two lusty girls from the collarbones of their shirts and pulls them away.

You Lesbos need to cool down for a sec –The gyaru angrily sits them back on the table.

They have Raccoon and Serval sit in the table, and the girls take the chance to sit next to them. The conversation between the kids and the animal-girls continues and turns energetic every minute. Fennec borrows Erika's phone to take selfies with a flustered Raccoon, meanwhile, Kaban silently stares at Serval; the cat-girl feels the pressure and the panting of her partner's and gradually blushes, trying to avoid eye contact.

K-kaban? –Serval stutters nervously, shrugging, looking down on the desk- W-would you please don't look at me so much? It feels weird… I don't like it –With a troubled smile, her words hits Kaban like a slap.

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! –Kaban covers her face on embarrassment and guilty.

Silence between them grows awkwardly; the other kids are so into their conversation they can't notice.

Do… do you really think it fits me? –Serval holds her hand gently, Kaban looks up to her; the cat-girl gives her a flustered smile.

Yes –Kaban holds her hand back slowly- You look so cute I couldn't help stare at you, it was weird like you said, I'm sorry –She makes a small bow to her, Serval confused, bows and put her forehead over Kaban's, making the girl blush once again.

Lion stares at the lovey-dovey couple and pokes Auron, she draws closer and whispers into his ear.

Do you think I should wear one of those too? –She smiles wide- You just say the word~ -

W-w-what… –The boy stutters with a red face.

Wrong answer! Offer expired! –Lion extends her arms and stretches smiling.

You… were going to wear it? –

Well you will never know now –She leans on his shoulder, laughing at him.

Alpaca and Koala appear in the middle of the chat, bringing a small food cart; the animal girls serve each one a cup of coffee, a pink candy and slice of chocolate cake. Akizuki presents Koala to the group.

I wish I could have come sooner, but I was baking the cake on the kitchen –Koala tells them with a soft voice.

Don't sweat it! –Akizuki pats her back- Anyway it looks good! You got a handle of it very fast! –She pets the little girl who giggles and purrs.

It was my third try, but this one ended smooth and sweet just like you shown me-

Koala smiles wide, her face of happiness with traces of flour charms everyone.

"What an angel" Everyone whispers.

Kaban? What is this? –Serval points at the coffee.

Is called coffee, like Mirai had the time she come home –

Why ours look so different from yours? –Raccoon bumps in the conversation.

Ah, that's because we ordered latte coffee for all of you –

Latte? –They ask on unison.

Coffee is actually really bitter and none of us like it –Alpaca answers for Kaban- But Akizuki made us latte and it was better, so I recommend it for you –She finishes with a giggle.

And this? –Aurochs lifts up the cake.

That's called a cake, is really soft and sweet, so don't worry! –Koala tells her proudly.

The sips and the munches replace the conversation, the forks and knives hit the plates on a hungry symphony, now and then the animal-girls would give sigh of relief while smelling the cups, Akizuki brews more coffee and cuts more cake for her Friends to join the party.

Koala –Nanaha holds on the pink ball of candy- What is this? –

Akizuki told me all cups of coffee should have a small free snack –She answer and chugs a slice of cake.

Ok but –Nanaha continues, suspicious- What exactly is this? –

Is my special pap! For some reason it took longer to make than in the game–The Koala girl smiles wide.

The kids look at each other with eyes wide open, they look at Akizuki next, grossed out, but she gestures showing she had no knowledge of it.

You won't eat it? –Koala asks Nanaha with a puppy face.

Ugh, is just –She trembles- I don't think we can eat this –

Eh!? –Koala pouts angrily- But Akizuki made me make them a lot for Alpaca and Ibis and they eat it!-

I wish you could forget that –Ibis whispers really low.

Auron –Aurochs and Oryx grab him from the shirt –What is pap? –

Every kid whispers to their Friends and explains them what the pink candy is, Koala stares at them confused and disappointed as all the girls set aside the plate with the candy with a grossed out face.

You guys are so mean! –Koala stands and pouts at the point of crying.

Is good actually –Fennec munches on the candy slowly, everyone screams shocked.

R-really!? –Koala swings moods and giggles looking at Fennec.

What are you doing even when I explained it to you!? –Erika shakes the fox-girl from the shoulders.

Don't worry, I knew what it was even before you told me –

That doesn't make it better! –She insists, worried and terrified.

Fennec doesn't answers to them; she just blushes and looks aside.

"This one is into some troubled waters" Erika thinks and sits back on her place.

With seconds being ordered, Alpaca takes the food cart back to the kitchen and disappears for a while, Nanaha walks to the piano sits on the bench and lifts up the fall board, everyone stares at her curious, Rhino walks to her side and stares. The girl starts playing a kind of gloomy, yet sweet melody; even Akizuki is quietly listening to her play.

Lady Nanaha, that is beautiful –Rhino compliments the girl as she continues playing.

My parents pushed me to take lessons –She answers.

Is that something you regret? –Rhino asks her with a smile.

You shouldn't tease your master like that, Rhino –Nanaha smiles back.

Auron interrupts them by sitting in the bench with the girl, his groups walk curious as he adds a jazz tone to Nanaha's song.

You aren't the only one with skills you know? –The boy grinds at her.

Well, well, can you keep up the pace with me? –Nanaha changes the tone and the song changes course.

Auron can do it too! I knew you were amazing –Lions smacks his back and the guy blushes.

So you're just showing off for her –Nanaha whispers to him, his face goes awfully red.

On the other side of the shop, Fennec makes Raccoon dance together with her with the melody of the piano, pushing Erika to record them. Alpaca and Ibis dance elegantly in the air while Koala and Serval drop some of the silliest moves on the floor.

Akizuki happily stares at the girls waving her legs on the chair, Kaban pokes her shoulder and she turns back. Kaban doesn't talk, she just stutters and shakes; Akizuki smiles to her a sits closer, she holds her hand and waits for the nervous girl to talk.

Were you attacked by Ceruleans two days ago? –Kaban finally asks.

Yes, the "tutorial" thing right? –

Yeah –Kaban nods- Well, weren't you scared? –

I definitely was –Akizuki plays with Kaban fingers-But Alpaca and Ibis did a good work protecting me, and when things got harder, Mirai and Caracal saved us –

I see –Kaban looks down depressed.

Was your tutorial that bad? –Akizuki asks worried.

I got hit twice by that things… and I got sick to the point of pass out each time –Kaban explains agitated.

Oh my poor thing –Akizuki holds her tight for a minute.

So, tell me Akizuki –

Yes? –

Are you going to keep playing? –

Of course! –She clenches her fist- I don't know if you're aware, but that Mirai woman is SUPER suspicious! I don't want to think what they would do to Alpaca, Ibis or Koala if I leave them to her! –

Her answer doesn't really surprise Kaban, but it takes a weight off her shoulders, they keep watching the girls dance and laugh, until Ibis puts Alpaca back on the floor and stands over the bar board, the happy atmosphere is cut in half with her loudly singing, who drains everyone's mood.

Well they say "It ain't over till the Friend signs" –Auron adds and the kids break on laughter.

With the sun settling and darkness quickly covering the sky, Nanaha is the first to say goodbye, a fancy car comes to pick the rich girl and Rhino. Auron, Kaban and their groups wait outside the store, Raccoon and Serval back on her usual clothes, hold the maid uniform waiting for Akizuki to give it back.

The door opens and a nervous Akizuki comes out with Erika and the rest of the Friends, her red hair sparkling like never before.

Ah! You look so pretty! –Kaban jumps to say, making her blush.

Y-yes, I never thought it could be this pretty… –Akizuki looks down embarrassed.

Her wig was really pissing me off so I had to do something about it –Erika says while putting a comb inside her bag- You need to take better care of your hair-

Akizuki remains silent and blushed, her Friends stare at the girl worried.

Don't think much about it, we girls have to help each other to stay pretty –Erika pats Akizuki on the shoulder.

Do you really think I'm a pretty girl? –Akizuki lifts her face up.

You're even prettier than me –Erika smiles wide.

Thank you… thank you for understanding… - Akizuki smiles back.

Having given back the uniforms, Erika and Fennec ride on the bike back home and Auron, Kaban and their group depart by walking.

Once in front of Kaban's apartment, Auron and his group says good bye and disappear in the night. Crossing the streets, the boy phone rings and he and the girls stop in front of a traffic light.

Hello there, how is everything going? –A familiar voice asks from the speaker.

Miss Mirai, sorry we bumped with some friends today –Auron answer with a serious tone.

So? Are you ready to report today's progress? –She asks while giggling.

Of course, I'll send you an email tonight –

The traffic light turns green and the boy hangs up.


	10. Chapter 10

Before the clock rings the alarm, before the darkness of the night disappears with the rays of the sun, morning has already started for Kaban, it has been five days since the accident on the school and a lot has changed in her life. The girl carefully gets out of bed without waking up her new roommates; she washes her face on the bathroom and quickly gets busy on the kitchen.

She turns on the TV and cooks with the sound of the news on the background, humming happily, Kaban packs her lunch and wraps on plastic foil a couple of plates, she leaves them over the table.

Kaban expression changes all of a sudden, the letter is still in the table, she picks it up nervous, it feels heavy for a piece of paper. The girl walks to the kitchen and carefully opens the letter with a knife, turning the envelope upside down, she shakes it, a piece of paper along with two feathers fall on the floor.

She picks up the feathers, the way the multiple tones blend on the barbs makes it look artificial, the quills have hair brooches attached, Kaban finally understands what their friends were talking; the paper is from her own apartment.

"Mirai probably wrote this letter in front of them, that's why they knew"

The girl grabs the letter next and opens it:

 _"No words can express how much I regret you got hurt by our mistakes…"_

Kaban sits on the table and puts the feathers on a side, the letter is really direct.

" _The truth is, I know almost as much as all of you about what is happening, but I do know one thing for sure, you have to keep your Friends with you. I was the one who suggested letting you kids keep your Friends as long as you collaborate with our project. We need the combat data of your Alfa characters and Beta Ceruleans so we can solve the problem of Alpha Ceruleans. You can't let them come to this place, because not even I know what the Director will do to them if they step inside these installations. I also understand how hard must be for you to go back to fight Ceruleans, but there is a time limit for you to do this or they will order me to bring your Friends back to the installations. I know you will take the right decision"_

Staring the ceiling, Kaban feels a cold chill on her spine, "there's a time limit"; she feels like she should have read the letter earlier. The pins on the feathers reflect the rays of light coming from the window, there's still more on the letter, she continues.

" _PS: I'm leaving these hair accessories as a gift for you. Did you know? These feathers are special trophies on the game. The pink with blue is given for people who reaches a max bond of friendship with Serval and the blue with yellow is for players who unlock Primal Charge, consider them a reminder of your worth, you're the first player ever to obtain both trophies!"_

There's no time to sit and process the information calmly, the day waits for no one. Kaban changes on her school uniform and brushes her teeth. She goes inside her room one more time, Raccoon and Serval still sleeping on the bed next to each other, looking at them fills the girls with a warm, happy feeling. She slowly kisses the girls foreheads and wakes them up.

I'm leaving to school now and be back later, your food is on the table and there is warm water on the kettle for the tea, be careful when you use it –

The girl whispers with a happy tone, the animal-girls slowly open their eyes trying to catch up everything Kaban says.

She grabs the feathers from the table and fixes them on her hair, looking at a small mirror in the drawn room; Serval wraps the girl with her arms from behind.

Can't you stay five more minutes…? –Serval asks yawning, still sleepy.

I can't, but I promise to come back as fast as possible –She pets the cat-girl until she loosens her arms.

Locking up, Kaban sighs and rests her forehead on the door.

Serval, Raccoon, I'm going to protect both of you -

Earlier that same day, the morning rises over the penthouse on a fancy building district; a young woman on her twenties with long black hair, a mold on her left eye and wearing a suit; pours coffee on a mug. The woman sits on a table along with six animal-girls. They greet the woman as they munch on food. She answers them with a silent smile.

A boy with an apron walks from behind her and sets a plate with toasts and eggs for her.

Good morning sis –The boy greets her with a smile.

Good morning Auron, are you done doing breakfast? –She breaks a toast and soaks it in coffee.

Yeah, just now, I'm going to change and meet with you in the parking lot –

He takes his apron off while petting Lion's head, she purrs and rubs her head against his hand happily, her face dirty on toasts crumbs. Auron takes the apron and uses it to clean her face with a smile; Lions flusters and avoids eye contact with him.

The girls keep chit-chatting and eating, but Lion just stares at her half eaten plate, still flustered.

Is something wrong, Lion? –The long haired woman asks.

No is just, I'm not feeling so hungry today –She stutters embarrassed.

If you don't want it I'll take it! –The animal girl in front of her extends her arm.

Wild Dog, watch your manners! –The woman scolds her.

Is fine, really! –Lion hands the plate to the hungry girl- If you excuse me… -she stands up and walks out the living room.

Is something bothering her? –Aurochs asks with her mouth full of crumbs.

Maybe she just wants to use the bathroom…? –Oryx comments, adding salad to her plate.

Lion walks in the hallway up the stairs, on the floor above, she goes inside a room and locks the door from the inside, Auron comes out from the bathroom inside the room and jumps surprised, he was taking off his shirt when he heard the cat-girl locking up the door.

Lion!? Why are you locking up the door!? –He blushes and quickly puts his shirt back in.

W-why do you make it sound weird!? –Lion covers her eyes and turns back- I just… wanted to talk to you on private –

On private? –Auron takes a suit from the closet, looks at Lion and blushes, he chooses to change on the bathroom- Is something bothering you? –

Well… -She turns back when she hears the boy's voice from the bathroom- I thought maybe you needed someone to talk to.

The boy doesn't respond, Lion only gets silence from him.

I mean… –she walks close of the bathroom's door- Auron, are you ok lying to your friends? –

They were never my friends –The guy answers.

What… –Lion takes a step back.

I'm sorry that was mean, what I'm trying to say is… –

Auron walks out of the bathroom wearing a black suit exactly the same as his sister was wearing. Lion gradually flusters looking at him.

I wasn't their friend until recently –The boy fixes his tie- Until five days ago, none of my classroom mates were my friends, so you could say that is thanks to you girls I have friends now –

Ah… is that… so –She avoids eye contact with him, each minute more red-

"Why does him; changing clothes to that suit makes me feel so weird!? Her sister was wearing them too and I didn't react like this!" –She thinks nervously.

I'm lying to them because I want to protect them –He smiles and pets the cat-girl again.

But are you sure that's the correct thing to do? –Lion looks down embarrassed.

I just know that is the correct thing to do now –He picks up his phone and saves it on a pocket.

The boy stares at her silently and blushes, he looks aside scratching his head.

I'm sorry I made you worry, and… –He looks back at her with a smile- Thank you, for wanting to help –

Auron opens the door, but the cat-girl grabs him from the fold of his jacket.

Are you dropping school? –Lion asks with a shaky voice- I hear your sister complaining about it, she says school is important for humans –

Is just for today –He chuckles- Even if I fall sick with a cold she would scold me anyway for missing school –

Ah, is that so –The girl lift up her face and giggles.

Suddenly, Auron turns back and holds Lion left pinky with his.

I still can't believe all you are here with me and that we are living together, I bet everybody feels the same way –He gives Lion a warm smile.

Auron… –She smiles blushed.

I promise to bring you snickers on the way back –

Yay! – She jumps excited.

Once in the drawn room, his Friends wait to say him goodbye, the boy puts on his shoes and turns to them.

Where are Brown Bear and the others? –He fixes his tie one more time.

They said they were going to make their rounds –Aurochs tells the boy.

They're as diligent as my sis… –He whispers with a sarcastic tone.

Do you really have to go with that Mirai woman? –Oryx asks nervously.

Hey!-Aurochs smacks her shoulder.

Don't fight, I'll be fine –Auron interrupts them from fighting- They say they want an oral report plus ask me some questions, I'll be back on a wink –

Lion smacks his back repeatedly while laughing.

Good luck out there! Our Lion King! –The girl has come back to her usual mood, the others chuckle at Auron's blushed face.

E-erika told you about that nickname right? –He asks waving a fist, the cat-girl nods while laughing.

Anyway… –He breaths deeply and opens the door, blushing, he continues- See you later… my Lion King- Auron shuts the door, you can hear him running away.

Eh… eh... eh!? –Lion, red as a tomato and with shaky legs; falls on the floor while holding her face with both hands.

Lady Lion!? Are you ok!? –Oryx tries to make her stand up from behind.

What was all that about? –Aurochs asks frowning, Lion breathing heavy.

Going down on the elevator, Auron reaches the ground floor and walks to the parking lot, where his sister is waiting for him on a K-Car, checking things on her phone. They drive away from the buildings and are soon on the streets of the city. The woman stops in front of a mall parking lot and switch off the car.

This is so uncomfortable –She pushes the lever on her seat and leans back.

God I thought you never were going to say it –Auron sighs with relief.

One day we have nothing, the next we have a car, a penthouse, a kitchen full of food and six cute girls living with us –She closes her eyes and puts her arms behind her head.

I never expected you played Cerulean Crisis too, Aurora –The boy turns back on his seat and stares her sister.

I needed something to do in my free times between college and work, when I couldn't just go home, I played –She admits embarrassed.

Well, is nice to know we are together in this –He pokes her sister cheek.

Still, having our live changed this much… –Aurora turns to him and bites his finger- It feels like we are walking in someone's else hand –

Even if is true –He rubs his hurt finger- I am honestly relieved we all have our own rooms, it gave me anxiety watching the girls sleep in our old cramped apartment –

Well, yeah I can't deny we got nice things in exchange –She scratches her ear- But everything is so suspicious, I checked the whole apartment looking for hidden microphones and cameras but I found none.

Ah, I did the same –The boy giggles with her.

Paranoid runs well in our family –Aurora stands and fixes the seat back in place- Auron, are you sure you want to lie to your friends? – She prepares to start the car.

Same to you, aren't you lying to your police partners as well? –He says defiant.

You caught me there –She ruffles his hair while laughing- But I'm not really lying, my boss just assigned me to the unit in charge of the Cerulean accidents because I'm an user –

Then I'm not really lying either –

Aurora starts the car and goes in the streets once again.

Remember, everything that happens today is important –She says with a serious tone- That woman appears one day and suddenly has entire control of the news and the police, she's using us, but other people is using her too –

We can only trust each other –

Like we always have done –

The woman turns right on a detour that leads to a tunnel, the car goes inside of it but never comes out from the other side. The traffic continues like it usually does, but their car never shows up again.

Hours and hours pass by, the streets, the hospitals, the schools, the train station, the malls, the supermarkets, Harajuku, Akizuki's café, and the people who use them return to have their normal routines. Between all the schemes Mirai has pulled into the city, the incidents made by the Ceruleans appearance don't even reached to be rumors. It all has gone with the excuse of "very expensive" publicity for the Smartphone game. This argument was sell by the news and distributed by the police, all following the instruction Mirai gave them, instructions someone else gave to her.

I have to do what!? –Rhino's voice echoes in the walls of a mansion.

The Rhinoceros girl, who now works as a maid in Nanaha's house, is shocked by what the girl is telling her to do. She has come to the house along with Kaban, two girls and a boy. Nanaha quickly takes off her bag, jacket and shoes and throws it around. Rhino catches each one before they touch the floor.

Kaban, does Lady Nanaha really means it? –Exasperated, the animal-girl walks to Kaban, flustered and confused about the situation.

R-rhino, first you have to calm down –Kaban gestures nervously.

How can I calm down!? –She extends her arms as if begging for an explanation, Nanaha belongings' fall on the floor.

Rhino! Stop whining! –Nanaha yells from behind- Pull yourself together, you'll understand once we start –She unties her hair and scratches it all over- Guide our invitees to the backyard, I'll be joining them later –The girl turns to the kids and points to a girl- We will settle this discussion when I come back, is that ok, Tami? –

Y-yes, bring it on! I won't lose to you! I'll win no matter what! –The bowl-haircut girl yells to Nanaha and pouts.

She doesn't answer back, Nanaha just walks up a fancy stair to the upper floor of the mansion while Rhino gestures the kids to follow her.

Giving a loud sigh, Rhino picks up Nanaha stuff once again and guides the kids to the backyard. Once outside, they find an immense field full of green. A tennis court in the right corner makes the place look even bigger. The kids sit over a set of furniture with a European theme. Kaban, Tami and the other two wait in silence as Rhino serves them a cup of tea.

How longer are we going to have to wait!? –Tami slams the table and makes Rhino spill the tea.

Miss, please abstain yourself from such unladylike manners –Rhino tells the girl slowly, with a furious tone, breaking the handle of the tea pot.

… I'm sorry –Tami looks down scared.

Sipping on the tea, the minutes pass by. Tami, a small girl with a bowl haircut waits anxious for Nanaha to come back. With a tic on her leg, her and the other kids; are wearing the same school uniform of Kaban's school. The other girl with long, curly, brown hair and a round face with freckles. The boy, tall and skinny, with short black hair and big glasses that make him resemble of a bug. All of them, wearing bands of the student council on their arms, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, in that order.

Your name is Kaban… right? –Tami peaks at the girl.

Y-yes! –She stutters.

… Since Nanaha hangs with you and the other kids, she has changed so much… just what did you do her? –Tami raises her fist, but the feeling of Rhino staring from behind stops her from slamming the table.

Tami, you shouldn't throw your frustrations with her –The curly haired girl interrupts- You aren't angry with Kaban, remember? –

R-right… –She looks down on the table.

I'm sorry, Tami is just really confused right now with all this situation –The girl bows to Kaban apologizing.

Is fine, really… -Kaban bows back to her- I'm sorry but, I don't know your name –

Oh is true, we haven't introduced yet! –She says embarrassed- I'm Sakura, the impatient little girl with a rage problems is Tami and the bug-looking guy here is Mamoru –

Rage problems!? –She stops at mid sentence hearing Rhino sigh loudly.

Bug-looking guy? Really, then what are you? –The boy fixes his glasses.

The exotic European-Asian girl of course! –The girl says making a mocking face.

You sure do get along –Kaban giggles watching them interact.

Never mind that Kaban –Sakura leans on the table and holds the hand of the girl- What we all want now is information.

Eh… eh? Information? –Kaban blushes and draws her hand away.

We want to know what Tami asked before of course, what happened to Nanaha in these days? Why our top student suddenly drops the presidency of the student council and start acting and looking like a Yankee? -

I wouldn't say a "Yankee" but, these changes sure have us confused –The boy tells Kaban, correcting Sakura.

This wasn't supposed to happen –Tami looks down clenching her hands- This is not how I want to be the president –

Oh, now that I think about it –Kaban holds her chin- If Nanaha is no longer the President; that means Tami is on charge now right? Is that really a bad thing? –She asks to the little girl.

You don't understand –Tami breaths deeply, trying to calm down- I was suppose to obtain the Presidency by elections next summer, not because our Prez suddenly felt like dropping out –

That's why you are so angry? –Kaban asks her worried.

Of course! –Sakura interrupts, pulling Tami's cheek- She thinks of Nanaha as her rival! She wanted a fight fair and square with Nanaha on the elections –

That's so admirable… –Kaban whispers embarrassed.

But now the Nanaha I know is no longer here –Tami releases her cheek from Sakura's hand- Why did she changed so much? Do you know why don't you; Kaban? –

Allow me to answer that , Kaban –

Rhino shows from behind the kids giving them the scare of their lives.

Geez, don't do that! –Sakura yells trying to catch her breath back.

I've been thinking about it for a while, but who are you? –Mamoru asks with a serious tone- We've been here plenty of times but we never met you before, are you a new maid staff? –

Exactly –Rhino bows and salutes with her skirt- I'm White Rhinoceros, Lady Nanaha's personal maid –

What kind of name is that!? –Tami chuckles loudly and forcefully stops when she looks at Rhino's menacing eyes.

I'm sorry Rhino –Sakura grabs Tami from behind and pulls her cheeks- She can be kind of troublesome but she doesn't really mean it, please forgive her –

I haf nothing to apolofize for! –Tami struggles and fights with Sakura.

If you really want to know… –Rhino continues, ignoring the fight of the two- Right now, Lady Nanaha is trying to find herself, the woman she wants to be… is not the student president.

W-what kind of explanation is that!? –Tami releases from Sakura hands again and asks Rhino furiously.

Is obvious that Lady Nanaha never felt the same way as you with the elections –Rhino looks at her with cold eyes- No matter what you do, you won't make her change her decision –

Well… I still believe that can be discussed –Tami stands, looking up at Rhino with angry eyes.

And what a little, impolite shrimp like you can do about it? –Rhino walks closer, defiant.

How did you just call me!? –Tami yells to the maid, walking even closer.

The clapping of hands suddenly interrupts the discussion. Nanaha appears from the entrance and Rhino, with a swing of mood, hurries to meet her with a smile. The girl comes with her hair untied, big thick past glasses, a sweatshirt, tight shorts and no shoes.

Is like a rich version of Erika… –Kaban facepalms, frowning.

W-w-what the hell are you wearing!? –Tami stutters red like a tomato.

What you ask? I dress like this in home –Nanaha says pulling her shirt.

I think you look adorable –Sakura adds giggling.

Ah… I-indeed, a unique side of our former President –Mamoru can't do anything else but look aside from the embarrassment it gives to him.

Well, are you ready Tami? –Nanaha smiles while stretching.

Bring it on! –Tami gestures, feeling both angry and excited.

The kids walk deeper in the backyard, on a big, plain space with nothing but grass. Tami and the rest of the President council stand on the opposite side of the field where Nanaha, Rhino and Kaban are. Bringing out their phones, they click on the CC game an open the option of Player versus Player on the settings. The cameras of the phones immediately shoot green lights that connect together and give the form of a giant green box.

One round, one fight! The winner takes it all Tami –Nanaha gestures defiant.

If I win, you'll be back as the President, you can't take that back now! –Tami responds on the same tone.

If you win of course –Nanaha chuckles- But that's not happening, go, Rhino –She gestures to the maid.

Lady Nanaha, do I really have to? –The maid fidgets- Fighting another Friend… it doesn't sound right –

Don't worry, you'll be fighting an hologram, just get inside and you'll see –

" Hologram", you say? –Rhino walks reluctantly into the box.

Eh? What is the maid doing? –Mamoru wonders.

Who knows… –Sakura leans on her face on her hand curious.

Rhino breaths deeply, untying the apron from behind and unbuttons the collar of her dress and her sleeves. Grabbing it all with from the center of her chest, Rhino pulls the dress with all her power and throws it away, showing a black full-body suit. The white-haired girl gazes to her master with a smile. Nanaha nods and presses on the phone, the body of Rhino shines with a silver light, turning on her knight armor, her spear emerging in the air in front of her hands.

T-the maid is her character!? How is that possible!? –Tami steps back surprised.

Well, Nana is rich right? She probably bought an expensive version of the new update? –Sakura gestures with her hand.

Just how much money does she have… –Mamoru comments worried.

A-anyway! –Tami slams the floor with her foot- Expensive characters won't help you win this! –

Tami presses on her phone, this time, the camera shoots a gamma of colors like is printing on a page, the lights move on an elaborated patron, creating the figure of a Jaguar Friend. Her eyes empty of live and her posture out of will shock Rhino a little.

So this is a hologram –She stares at her from head to toes.

Can she fight with it? Is just light –Kaban asks worried.

The Beta Ceruleans are also just lights –Nanaha tells without looking at the girl- If they can damage that hologram Ceruleans then they also can damage hologram Friends –

A countdown appears on the box, the girls look at each other in silence. "10… 9… 8…" Rhino waves her spear and prepares to fight, the Jaguar keeps the posture in which she was summoned, just an empty shell of light. "5… 4… 3…" Tai smiles full of confidence, Nanaha in the other side; just looks away scratching inside her ear.

Boss' voice screams "START" from inside the box, the colors change from green to red. Tami holds on her phone like a controller and start pressing on buttons. The Jaguar postures a fight stance and charges against Rhino. With quickly moves, the hologram swings punch after punch against Rhino, but she avoids them all effortlessly.

Jaguar takes some steps back and runs over the walls. The hologram jumps from behind Rhinos back and charges. Rhino waves her spear on circles and uses it to counterattack, sending the hologram back to Tami's zone.

Tami you're better than I expected! –Sakura cheers the little girl.

Keep it like that and you will win! –Mamoru joins Sakura.

In the other side, Rhino keeps holding Jaguar attacks and pushing her away with the spear.

How is it Rhino, think you can do it? –Nanaha sits spreading her legs.

What's with that laid back attitude all of a sudden… –Kaban asks to herself as she sits with the girl.

Yes my Lady! Her attacks and actions are predictable! –Rhino hits Jaguar with the spear on her face and sends her away once again- But she's too fast and my armor is holding me back! I need to change! –

Eh!? –Nanaha groans loudly- Why are you so obsessed with changing modes? –

W-why are YOU so obsessed with not changing them? –Rhino stutters as she struggles to hold Jaguar away.

F-i-n-e –The girls gives another loud groan.

Please change me to Warrior armor! –Rhino yells while retaining Jaguar fists.

"Warrior"? –Kaban pokes Nanaha's shoulder.

Ah, is a light type of armor –The girl replies pressing on the armor settings- it boosts her speed but is the one I hate the most –

Rhino's body shines once again, smiling; she holds Jaguar from her right arm and throws her in the air as her armor changes form. The plates on the shoulders disappear and the ones from the waist get tinier. The part that protects her chest turns into a half leather on the left side, half metal breast plate on the right side. Her spear; breaks in two parts of glowing light; the biggest side, turns into a sword which holds with her right hand and the smallest part into a dagger on her left hand.

ALRIGHT! NOW I'M FEELIN' IT –Rhino screams making tricks with her weapons, licking on the tip of her sword.

See what I mean? –Nanaha points at the animal girl annoyed.

Y-yeah; that's kind of… -Kaban scratches her cheek.

The counterattack begins, moving like a savage and sticking out her tongue, Rhino strikes back all of Jaguar attacks. She pushes the hologram to a corner and swings her sword to the height of her head. But Tami reacts fast and makes Jaguar kneeling and jump away.

C'MON! DON'T RUN AWAY! I'VE GOTTA DO SOME GOOD KILLIN' WITH YA! –Rhino yells furiously to the hologram.

H-hey, isn't this bad? –Mamoru shakes Tami's shoulder.

You have to do something Tami! You can't lose! –Sakura shakes her from the other side.

Calm down! You're in the way! –The girl walks away from them.

The fight goes on with parts on the same level. Jaguar attacks, Rhino dodges and strikes back, Jaguar avoids the swing of her blades and launches an upper cut, Rhino lifts her head up without even blinking, avoiding the punch with a thirst of fight on her blue eyes.

Well Tami, I think you have gotten enough fun –Nanaha stands up sighing- But is just time to finish this –

Nanaha presses on her phone and Rhino shines bright, getting soaked in the aura of Wild Charge, she turns her blades upside down and postures ready to fight. On a blink, the Rhinoceros girl disappears from everyone's sight and appears right behind Jaguar's back, swinging her blades like a scissor; she cuts the hologram in half, making it disappear.

Tami's legs shake on surprise, the girl falls on the floor beaten as Boss' voice announces the end of the game. She wants to cry her heart out, she wants to find a way for a rematch, but her voice just doesn't come out. Instead Tami looks Nanaha in silence. The girl taps on the phone and releases Rhino from the armor. She jumps over the animal girl and Rhino quickly catches her from the waist. They laugh and celebrate together; Rhino lifts her up from the waist and spins on circles with her master.

The little girl looks at the whole scene, her chest being filled with an uncomfortable feeling. She gazes to Kaban, who gives her a troubled smile.

With the sun hiding behind the forest of the mansion, both the student council and Kaban are ready to get in Nanaha's car to go back to their homes. Tami, sobbing with an ugly expression is left to be comforted by Sakura, who gives her napkin after napkin from her bag meanwhile Kaban and Mamoru chat.

The car appears from inside the house and Nanaha and Rhino come out of the mansion. Mamoru and Sakura look at Tami, they gently push the little girl to be in front of her senior. She tries to contain her tears, having hiccups. Nanaha scratches her head frustrated.

Tami, I'm sorry –Nanaha tells her on soft tone- I'm going through a lot of things right now, I didn't thought about your feelings or the feelings of Mamoru, or Sakura, I just left without thinking about it –

She holds Tami from the shoulders.

I'm trying to find the girl I want to be –she takes a deep breath- And the girl I want to be is not the President of the student council.

Nanaha gives a warm smile to Rhino, who blushes and smiles her back. Tami once again does nothing but look at them on silence.

Is my fault… –The little girls speaks up with a weak voice- I didn't consider your feelings either, I was so focused on the elections I couldn't think of anything else.

Well, you have a temper as short as your height –Nanaha chuckles.

Why you…! –Tami hits her softly with her little fists.

Nanaha takes the girl by her cheeks and pulls them.

I promise to visit the student council now and then, you are the president now Tami, make me proud –She smiles while playing with her face.

Y-yesh –Tami holds on Nanaha's hands and pulls them away- I'll do my best.

The blonde girl now turns to the other kids.

I'll be visiting you guys too, just because I'm not the president doesn't mean I can't be your friend –

Of course! –Sakura flashes to be in front of Nanaha and holds her hands- I can't wait to meet you outside of school again! –

Sounds good to me! –Mamoru tells from behind fixing his glasses.

The kids get in the car one by one, but Nanaha stops Kaban before she gets in.

Thank you for coming all the way here and watch over me –Nanaha gives her a gently smile.

Is not like I did much… –Kaban stutters with her usual troubled smile.

Being here was enough –She pets the girls head- That feathers suit you good, say hello to Serval and Raccon for me –

T-thank you… I will –She nods and blushes before getting on the car.

Nanaha palms the car and the driver waves at her from the window; he sets on the street and gradually disappears on the distance from the sigh of Nanaha and Rhino.

Shall we get in now? –

Yes! My Lady! -


	11. Chapter 11

The chapter of Hanako and the wisest owls

Eight days after the incident: 14-09-20XX

It's early in the morning when Hanako, a married woman on her 40s, tall, with a slender figure and white skin, her hair long and black tied carefully on a bun, wearing a long yellow dress and a blue-jean jacket, walks out on her usual shopping routine. Giving good morning to the neighbors, giving candy to the kids who walk to school, helping the elders cross the street, the day for Hanako begins like any other. Hanako goes inside a bazaar, chatting with the owners of the stores while buying vegetables and other goods. Gossiping with the fish-man and flirting with the butcher, Hanako gets discounts on her shopping's and puts everything on her bag. On the way back, she takes a detour on a street of the neighborhood, a shortcut back to her house she uses when lifting so many heavy food.

With two streets close to her house, something peculiar near to a garbage disposal makes her stop. A couple of little girls are muttering to each other and inspecting the trash bags. The woman slowly walks to the group of kids, curious; they aren't wearing the uniform of any of the nearby schools in town. Hanako looks from left to right, the street is empty and there's no adult looking for them.

The kids feel the presence of the woman and stare at her diligently. Each girl is wearing long sweater jackets that match each other except the color. Her hair has a peculiar form and texture Hanako hasn't seen before. Their eyes are big and shiny, one full of red, the other one with big, charming white eyes.

They whisper to each other looking at the woman, Hanako tries to come closer and hear but they just jump startled. The woman, worried of the kids being lost, decides talking to them.

Uhm, excuse me – She bends and speaks with the softest tone she finds- Are you girls perhaps lost? –

Once again they look at each other and whisper; the white haired girl walks towards the woman meanwhile the red one hides behind her back. The girl points at the garbage disposal.

The things on the bags… –The girl asks with a firm but acute tone- Are the things on this bags food? –

Hanako confused, stands up and looks at the bags, then remembers today is the day when people throw organic trash.

Some of them, yes –She answers frowning.

The girls immediately make a disgusted expression.

Then why is everything spoiled!? –The white haired girl pouts frustrated.

Well, that's because is trash –Hanako answers confused, slowly approaching the kids.

Trash!? –They both scream on unison.

Professor, it seems this isn't a place for food like we thought –The red haired girl whispers.

So it seems Assistant, what a trouble –The white haired girl holds her chin thinking on silence.

The woman giggles awkwardly; they seem to be ignoring her completely.

Would you girls tell me why were you checking on the trash? –

Because we are hungry –They answer together.

C-come again!? – Hanako stutters worried.

We saw people throwing bags in this place, so we thought they were throwing food they didn't wanted –The white haired girl gestures with her hand.

But when we checked on the bags the food was all spoiled, it smells and tastes horrible –The red haired girl adds making a face of disgust.

Hanko looks at them more carefully, they were saying the truth, her hands, clothes and faces were dirty for digging on the trash.

My goodness! Just look at you two! –

Hanko puts a hand inside her bag and brings a box of wet towels. She kneels and carefully wipes the face and hands of the white haired girl who fights reluctantly against her hand. She stops struggling once she notices the dirt falling off and the towels leaving her hands clean and with a sweet smell. The red haired girl looks at the other impressed and shows her hands and face to the woman. Hanako smiles and takes more towels from the box to clean her. Once they're shinning clean, they whisper to each other and stare at the woman flustered.

T-thank you for your help… –The white haired girl stutters looking down.

See? Don't you feel much better now? –Hanako smiles gently.

The girls nod and smile to them, in the silence of the morning, the growls of their tummies echoes on the empty street. They look down ashamed, Hanako reacts worried.

My gosh, you are truly hungry aren't you? –She pets both of them softly and continues- Where are your lunch boxes? Your parents don't make you lunch? –

What is a parent? –The white haired girl asks.

What is lunch? –The red haired girl adds.

Their questions only raise Hanako's worries.

W-why don't we start for the basics –She stutters- Do you girls have names? Mine is Hanako–

I'm Northern White-Faced Owl, the Professor –The white haired girl says immediately.

I'm Eurasian Eagle Owl, the Assistant –The red haired girl says following the other.

Y-you have unique names, don't you? - Hanako gestures nervously- Then, where are your parents? –

Isn't a parent the same as the one who gives birth to a cub? –The red haired girl asks to her equal.

Yes, but we Friends don't have such a thing like a parent, at least not anymore –The white haired girl answers then stares at the woman-

Hanako stands confused, scratching her head.

I don't quite understand what you're saying but… –She gestures nervously again- I understand for that you don't have parents –

They nod to the woman together.

What about you? Are you a human parent? –The red haired girl asks.

Me? Well, yes, I a mother of two young women –Hanako answers with a proud tone.

The owls flutter their wings at the answer, the woman looks surprised at the movement of their heads, once again, their stomachs growl and echo, starving. The woman looks around then smiles to the girls.

Would you girls like to come to my house and have breakfast? –She kneels and asks them with a smile.

The girls startled, look at each other holding their tummies, almost as if they know what the other is thinking, they look back at her with their mouths drooling and their eyes sparkling. Hanako giggles at their reaction and takes them by their hands, walking together on the street.

What would you like to eat? –The woman asks cheerfully.

Do you know how to do "cooking"? –The white haired girl asks, holding on the finger of the woman while walking.

Cooking? Y-yes of course, as a mother I had to make food for my daughters and my husband –

Husband? –The red haired owl asks while drooling.

A husband is… –Hanako turns to the other girl, also holding on her finger- A person who you love so much you live with them and have kids with them.

Is a husband needed to have cubs? –The white hair owl pulls on her finger.

Cubs? Y-yes! I think so… –Hanako stutters embarrassed.

How do humans make cubs? –The red haired owl pulls on her finger too.

A-ah, well, you see… –

Hanako leaves them hanging for the answer, no matter how much they insist she doesn't reply. Walking through the shortcut, they reach a neighborhood of houses of two floors with a considerable big size. They stop in front of one painted with light tones of green, wooden windows and door, behind of a fence made of concrete. A small yard full of green grass receives the girls as they walk to the entrance.

A couple of eyes peaking behind a corner of the house scares the girls who open their wings wide in surprise and make Hanako jump startled and drop the keys of the house. A Thosa dog runs excited to the girls jumping and sniffing on them. The girls whine frustrated trying to get the dog off just to have the animal jump back over again.

Stop! Stop licking my face you weird sandstarless Friend! –The red haired girl screams.

How is this fluffy thing so strong! Learn to behave! –The white haired owl pulls the dog away with all her might.

Fiffy! Fiffy you need to calm down! I'm so sorry he's usually so calm…! –The woman holds the dog from the collar until it gets bored and goes to the backyard.

Once over the dog, Hanako picks the keys again and opens the door. She takes off her sandals and waits for the girls take off her shoes and leave them on the draw room. Hanako leaves the owls on the living room and the bag on the kitchen while she goes up the stairs. They sit on a couch in front of a small plasma TV and silently stare the place, is clean and filled with a sense of order. The walls are full with pictures of Hanako with Fiffy, another two women and a man. They follow an order from left to right, where you can see the other two girls growing older with Hanako and the man.

The living room gives open view to the kitchen, no wall divides them, just walking a few steps is enough. But the most noticeable thing for the girls is the absolute silence; they wonder how a house where four persons and a dog live can be so quiet. Hanako comes down from the upper floor bringing with her a change of clothes inside of a basket. She offers the girls to wash their clothes and gives them the ones on the basket to change.

Hanako helps them to take off their clothes and y change. Assistant pokes the Professor over the shoulder and points to the pictures on the wall. The shirts and shorts she gave to them are the same clothes the girls on the pictures are wearing when they were smaller. They look at the picture in silence; a small glance into each other eyes is enough to know what the other is thinking.

Slowly mixing on the air, the smell of food from the kitchen makes the owls drool, they flutter and sit on the table, making Hanako scream surprised.

"Did they just… with their hair? Right?" She thought as the owls looked at her confused.

Switching the radio of the kitchen on, Hanako impresses the girls as she hums and chops, fries and stirs the food on the pots, they clap and gasp surprised at her skills with the tools and the stove.

Is cooking that fun? –Assistant asks.

Fun? –Hanako blushes surprised- I-I guess I let myself go for a moment… It has been a long time since I cook for more than my husband –

Didn't you say you made food for your daughters too? –Professor recalls.

Hanako cleans her hands on the apron and gives the girls a sad smile.

My daughters are both big girls already, they can do their own food now… –She looks aside with a sad expression.

S-sorry, we didn't mind… -Professor stutters.

Mhm-mhm, is alright –Hanako pokes the nose of the white haired girl- My girls are going to be so envious when they know I made their favorite breakfast for other girls, hehe –

The woman serves in the table two bowls of curry Udon and a plate of stir-fry bell peppers. The girls pull the bowls closer and sniff on them, the spicy smell of the curry makes their eyes water, they shake and shrug and look at Hanako with disappointed faces. She just laughs and gestures them to eat, Hanako grabs a set of chopsticks and takes a bite from Professor's Udon. Smiling, she takes another bite and gestures to Professor, who opens her mouth slowly and eats the noodles. Professor screams while munching excited and happy, she gestures to Assistant and signals the food is good to eat. Copying Hanako movements with the chopsticks, they start eating, munching the squishy noodles and vegetables and sipping on the thick soup.

See? Is good right? –Hanako says flustered from watching they chug on the bowls.

The owls don't answer, only loud, impolite noises of slurping and horrible manners to hold chopsticks reign on the table as they finish the plates.

That was better than the Japari Buns –

Indeed Assitant, being able to cook food this delicious, what an amazing skill humans have… –

Hey is not over yet, you are missing the bell peppers –Hanako signals the plate.

Professor sniffs on the plate, with a strong smell like the curry, she's convinced it will taste good, or so she thinks until she takes some.

Bitter! Is so bitter! –Professor pouts angry.

Assistant looks at her confused and takes some too.

Why is this so bitter!? –Assistant coughs because of the taste.

No, no, that won't do! –Hanako shakes her head- If you don't eat your veggies there won't be dessert –

"Dessert"…? –The girls ask on unison, gulping down saliva.

That's right! Dessert is… –Hanako pretends to think carefully- A really sweet kind of food that is given to the good kids who eat all their veggies –

Sweet food… –The owls whisper, looking at each other.

Determined, they take more of the green, bitter vegetable and eat them with sobbing eyes, almost as if they're eating poison, the girls eat until the last vegetable. Hanako gives serves glasses of water to wash the flavor from their mouths.

Good kids, you truly are good kids! –She pets them softly, the girls blush with their faces dirty of food- You seemed kind of pale when I found you, this food should help you to get your energies back -

Can we have dessert now? –Professor asks, pulling on the sleeve of the woman.

Of course! You ate all your veggies so you deserve a reward! –

The woman walks to the fridge and brings two pudding cups and couple of spoons.

I bet you have never eat this one before! –Hanako smiles ripping off the lids.

Such a wonderful yellow color… –Professor drools.

A kind of food that is sweet and cold… Professor, this could be a great discovery –Assistant nods and drools.

That's right! There's nothing better after a spicy meal than pudding! –Hanako gives them the spoons.

Hanako, gesturing how to use the spoon, guides the owls to dig on the dessert. Just like the Udon, they show no manners or self restrain. Once they get a taste of the cold, creamy sweet on their mouth, their faces full of bliss and their wings fluttering like crazy. The girls dig on the cups without breathing and making a mess on their faces with the caramel. Hanako stares enjoying their expression until the end.

With their tummies full, the girls rest on the seats of table, beaten by the food. Hanako comes with a box of wet towels for them, this time, the owls extend their hands and shut their eyes and mouth on a comical way, showing to Hanako a bit more of thrust than before.

The woman turns back to the kitchen to clean the dishes humming. By the time she's done,, the girls have fallen asleep on the seats. Carefully, Hanako takes each one to the sofa and leaves them rest. She takes her time to inspect the estrange hair of the girls. Hanako finds hard to believe, even when touching it, it just feathers, she even extends their girls up and down, is not a wig, they're real feathers on their heads.

Confused and curious, she tries to wake them up, but both of the owls are deep on slumber. Hanako gives up and takes the basket with their clothes to the laundry room. When she separates and shakes the clothes of the girls, a piece of metal falls on the floor. Hanako picks up a really new Smartphone, she wonders why these girls would carry such an expensive thing.

She leaves the clothes on the washing machine and goes to the backyard, giving Fiffy the leftovers from the food, she checks the inside of the phone. The woman only finds a lot of application games and an anime music album, no name, contacts or email to know the owner of the number. No contacts or any kind of registry, the phone hasn't been used for anything that isn't playing games.

Why do you have that? That is ours –

Professor tells Hanako from behind, with a shaky voice. Assistant following her rubbing her eyes, they woke up from their sudden nap. The woman jumps startled and bounces the game from hand to hand, making a loud scream from the scare Professor gave her.

W-why you ask? –She smiles nervously- W-well I was washing your clothes when this fell and… -

Hanako interrupts herself, breathing deeply and shaking her head, she returns the phone to the hands of Professor.

I'm sorry I took this without telling you –

What where you doing with it? –Assistant asks.

What was I doing? Well, I was trying to figure out if I could call your parents –

But we don't have parents; Friends don't have those –Professor frowns.

"Friends"… –Hanako scratches her head confused- But dear, if you don't have parents, where do you come from? –

The owls look at each other without replying the woman. Professor pokes the phone many times than shows the start screen of the CC game to Hanako.

We are characters of this game, we got called here to help –

"Cerulean Crisis"…? I think I heard about this on the news… –

Hanako massages the temple of her head with the tip of her fingers. In silence, she tries to find a way to approach the situation." Are they pulling a complicated prank on me? Are they children from a western family and they got lost? Maybe they're abused children who use this delusional game story to avoid their traumas?" This and many other questions fill the woman's head. She breaths deeply and give an awkward smile to them.

Let's see –She speaks with a tone of sarcasm- If you are game characters, and you came to help, who are you helping? –

We don't know –Professor answers with a serious tone.

When we appeared on this world, all we could find was Ceruleans and this phone –

"Ceruleans"…? –Hanako gives another deep breath.

The reason we were summoned here –Assistant nods.

The Ceruleans are hostile creatures made of corrupted Sandstar, they attack Friends and try to eat them, that's why we fight them –The Professor gestures while Assitant nods repeatedly.

But Professor, this Ceruleans weren't like the ones we usually crush –Assistant adds.

Indeed –Professor looks at her then turns back to Hanako- These Ceruleans are a weird kind, they don't have a rock core, their forms are some of like the animals and have a higher capacity of reasoning than the ones we usually crush -

This is getting more and more complicated… –Hanako rests her face on her right hand while sighing- And where are this "Ceruleans" now? –

We crushed the ones we found when we were summoned –Assistant gestures with her hand.

But apparently, more are suppose to come –Professor copies Assistant.

They can come, we will crush them –Assistant says with an aggressive tone.

Honestly –Professor nods- We will crush them, they're small fries –

Ah, look at you, so full of confidence! –Hanako squishes Professor cheeks', still confused.

"I guess for now I'll play along with them" Hanako thinks worried.

So, now that I understand a little better –She stands making a funny posture- What are you girls planning to do while you wait for this Ceruleans? –

The girls stare at each other surprised, embarrassed, they look down and answer on unison.

We don't know… –

We have been wondering around the city for almost a day –Professor says embarrassed.

Looking for the Ceruleans, other Friends, looking for food on the deposits –Assistant adds with a shaky voice.

My poor little things! –Hanako hurries to hug them and wrap the girls with each arm- Where you eating trash all this time? –

Y-yeah….We've… been… e-eh? W-what is this? –Professor asks confused, sobbing with a shaky voice.

Buaaaaah! –Assistant screams out loud crying.

Assistant!? Why are you crying!? –Professor asks her, rubbing her eyes from sobbing and having hiccups.

There, there, is ok to cry –Hanako hugs the red owl with both arms and rubs her back.

Assistant!? Answer me! Why are you crying!? –White owl pouts furiously trying not to cry.

Because… because! –Her words are drowned on her tears- I was so scared…! Professor! I never felt so scared! We were so lonely and so hungry! –

But that's no reason to cry…! –Professor legs' shake, giving up to tears slowly; she extends her arms to Hanako.

There, there, you can come here too –Hanako opens her arm and hugs them both again.

The two owls cried and cried for ten minutes until they were too tired to cry and scream. Hanako took them by their hands and guide them to sit back on the couch. Kneeling, she wipes her tears with her fingers.

If you don't know what to do until the Cerulean comes –Hanako speaks on a soft tone- It means you can help me in the house meanwhile, right? –

H-help you how? –Professor asks still with hiccups.

Well, there's a lot of chores to do in this house, a couple of hands would be welcomed, what do you say? –

And after that? –The red owl asks wiping her eyes.

After that? –

Yes… can… can we…. Stay here? After we crush the Cerulean? –The Professor holds tight on the sleeve of the woman.

Well… that's kind of… -Hanako scratches her cheek frowning.

Is that no good? –

The question strikes deep on Hanako mother's heart, their puppy eyes, red from crying doesn't help much either.

Girls, this is an important decision to take –Hanako says breathing deeply- And I'm sure my husband will have something to say, so what if we wait for him to take a decision? –

Well, he is my husband –Hanako accentuates- And he's also a policeman–

A policeman? –They ask together.

Right… you see… a policeman is someone who protects the laws that bring order to our world –

Sounds something similar like we do –Assistant tells to Hanako.

Is that so? Are you policewoman on your game? –Hanako chuckles sarcastically.

In human terms, you can say that, yes –Professor replies proudly.

We were in charge to keep the order of our world –Assistant points at the phone.

Reaaally? –Hanako laughs harder, the girls get pissed off- A couple of girls who can't finish their veggies without pudding were protecting other people? –

Your veggies were bitter! We don't eat bitter stuff! –Professor throws a tantrum.

That's right! We are the top strongest and wisest! We don't need bitter veggies! –Assistant joins the tantrum.

Aw don't be like that! –Hanako pets their heads until they calm down- If you really have such a big job, then you need to eat your veggies to keep being the strongest, right? –She gives them a big warm smile.

Y… yeah –Professor blushes watching the woman smile.

I-is not like we don't appreciate the food you gave us –Assistant blushes too.

Hanako keeps petting the girls as they slowly melt in her hands. She brushes their feathers with her fingers, scratching them behind the ears and underneath the chin. They both purr and giggle with the cares of the woman, giving up to her hands.

As the day keeps moving, the house gets busy. Together with Hanako, Professor and Assistant start doing the chores one by one. Doing the Laundry and learning about washing machines. Their faces which get sucked by the vacuum cleaner as they try to clean the floor and the couches, leaving marks on their cheeks. Professor running away from Fiffy while Assistant chases the dog to put him on a chain, so they can wash him, the hyped dog shakes now and then soaking the helpless girls on soapy water.

The lunch is enjoyed as much as the breakfast. Hanako prepares steak burger and steamed vegetables for the owls. This time, they listen to Hanako instructions and use the chopsticks properly, eating slowly. Waving their legs and their wings on each bite, Hanako enjoys every second of watching them eat.

Helping the woman washing the dishes and put everything back to place, the owls sit on the couch together with Hanako. They spend hours sharing stories, Hanako, talking about her daughters when they were little, Professor and Assistant, telling about their adventures on Japari Park, although the woman finds hard to believe them. They gradually close their eyes, resting their heads over Hanako's lap, the girls fall asleep once again until the evening comes. Hanako brings them their clothes, clean and dried, she helps them change back.

Hanako –Professor pulls on the sleeve of the woman while she drinks a cup of coffee on the kitchen.

What is it… n-northern owl? –She stutters.

If is hard to day that you can just call me Professor –

I think that's just as hard… Don't you have any other way to call you? –Hanako frowns.

I'm the Professor –She insists.

Sighs… well, Professor… –Hanako smiles awkwardly- What do you need dear? –

I want to read –She extends her arms wide.

Me too? –Assistant flies to the kitchen and lands on Hanako's lap.

Remember how we told you about the library we lived? –Professor gestures with her hand.

Thanks to the registry the past members of the Feather Club left behind, we could guide other Friends, build things and expand our knowledge –Assistant put Hanako's hand over her head so she pets the owl.

B-but since we are here, we have found many things out of our knowledge… –Professor pouts, jealous of the red owl who just looks at her equal with a smug smile.

In resume, you want to study –She pets the greedy red owl without thinking much.

The woman stands up and guides the girls up the stairs. The upper floor is full of rooms on the hall. Hanako opens a door on the corner of the left side and switch the lights up. The girls go inside of a bedroom, which smell is that of a room you leave closed for a long time. It has a forest upholstery all around, a bed on the side, a desk with an old computer and the most important, a stand full of books plus many boxes packed and sealed with more books.

This room was from one of my daughters, she was a bookworm since child –The woman speaks with a sad tone.

The library had more books but… –Professor flies inspecting the stand.

What matters is the content –Assistant adds checking on the boxes.

Will this be enough? –Hanako asks the owls, they nod on unison.

Many of these books have dates that don't appear on our library, there are novels and dictionaries too –Professor gives a thumb up to Hanako.

We will read all these books and recover our title of the wisest, Professor –Assistant puts the box of books over her head and carries it out the room.

Assistant!? Aren't those books heavy!? –Hanako asks surprised.

Don't worry, we can even lift a car if we want, books aren't a problem –Professor tells the woman, flying at the level of Hanako's head.

I-is that so? You girls really are something… –

By the way, Hanako –Professor turns to fill her hands with books.

Yes Professor? –

You haven't told us what happened to your daughters –

Ah, that's… –

… Should I have not asked? –

No, no, is ok –She coughs a little and continues- You see, my daughters left home three years ago when they graduated from college, since that, they've never come back and they barely contact me –

What!? That is so cruel! –Professor pouts.

Hehe… –Hanako pets the girl who purrs softly- Is okay dear, they're strong, intelligent women, they can live by their own now and I'm honestly proud of them.

But… -

I understand how you feel, but that is also a part of rising a cub-Hanako gives her a sad smile

The evening falls in the dark, the lights of the house shine the later it gets. Hanako happily stares the owl girls from the kitchen as they read the books and watch the news on TV. Taking and comparing notes. Bringing more books from the room each time they finish a set. Getting excited when commercials of candies appear on screen, and losing their minds whenever they peak on the food network channel.

Hanako… –Assistant staggers to sit on the chair of the table.

Yes Assistant? Food will be ready on a while~ –Hanako turns to the girl with a smile.

T-that's not it! –Professor yells, blushing and sitting on the chair next to the other.

Oh is that so? –She laughs and walks to them fixing her apron.

We've been wondering… I'm the Professor and she's the Assistant, but what about Hanako? –

Me? What do you mean? –

Do you have any other way to call you besides Hanako? –The red girl asks leaning on the table.

Well, my complete name is Hanako Hanamaru… –She sits in front of them.

But our names aren't Professor or Assistant, that's how we want people to call us –

Oh, so you want another way to call me? –

They nod with a smile to the woman and Hanako gets an idea strike on her mind like a thunder. The owls look at her with curiosity, but she fidgets and frowns, not sure of the repercussions her idea might have. After some minutes of awkward silence, only filled by the sound of the bubbling from the boiling pots, Hanako decides to speak her mind.

What… about if you… call me "mom"? –She gets a chill all over her spine, regretting it immediately.

The owls look at her surprised, they whisper to each other peaking at her for some minutes. Blushing from ear to ear, the girls look at the woman embarrassed.

I-is ok dears! You don't really have to do it! –

Hmn-hmn –Professor shakes her head- …M-mom… somehow it makes me happy to call you that way –

Indeed –Assistant nods blushing- I feel my heart skipping a beat thinking of calling you mom… it feels nice –

My gosh, you two! –Hanako leans over the table to squish the bird girls with all her might.

The three snuggle each other while hugging, blushing and giggling, the night on the house is filled with a sweet atmosphere. With a feeling Hanako thought she would never experience again.

As the woman tells the girls to wash their hands to dinner, they run from the living room to the bathroom on the ground floor, when suddenly, the front door opens. An old man with a police uniform opens the door. Impressed, he stares at the bird girls who look right back at him, silence all around, they don't even move an inch.

"Did I just enter in the wrong house?" The man thinks to himself nervous.

A policeman uniform… –Professor whispers.

You must be… Jirou… Hanako's husband, right? –Assistant asks to the man.

T-that's right, and you girls are? –He asks still nervous.

Mom! –Professor yells from the drawn room- Your husband is here! –

Wait a moment, Professor –Assistant holds her shoulder- If Hanako is our mom and Jirou is her husband… shouldn't that make him our dad? –

Oh! –Professor blushes looking at the man.

E-excuse me? H-hanako is what? –The man scratches his head each time more confused.

Mom! Dad is here! –They yell on unison.

Waaaaait! –Hanako runs to the drawn room, her face bright red on embarrassment- You can't just drop that all of a sudden! –She squishes the mouths of the bird girls.

H-hanako? –The man walks closer- What is happening? Who are these girls? –

I-I'll explain you in a moment, take of your shoes and join us to dinner would you? Now, girls, hurry up and wash your hands! Quickly! –

She pushes the girls to walk to the bathroom as them wave goodbye to the man. Once the four sit on the table and Hanako had served a bowl of cutlet pork and a plate of salad on the center, the woman proceeds to explain Jirou the events of the day and asks Professor to hand him the phone she has.

Jirou, Hanako's husband, is a man who is also in his 40s but looks way older than that. His work on with the police has dried the man physically. Tall but husky, white tones of hair between the black ones on his head. His skin, emaciated and with wrinkles on his eyes. However, his voice still shows signs of vitality and youth inside of him.

Well, Hanako, I know this sounds crazy… but the story the girls have told you is the truth –Jirou says to the woman while having a bite of rice.

As the girls eat and enjoy the meat, Jirou begins to tell her wife about the accidents with the Ceruleans and the cover up the news and the government made, along with the special unit made in the police office who takes care of the Cerulean cases.

Hanako does not say a thing in all that time. Once dinner is over, the woman stands up to take the plates to the sink and tells the girls to go watch TV. They do as they're told, noticing the change of moods from the woman, however Jirou silently gestures them that everything is fine before they leave the kitchen.

Jirou takes a beer from the fridge and sits back on the table, her wife still doesn't talk; she just sits in front of him with a troubled expression.

So then… –Hanako whispers- Are you going to take them…? –

Hanako… –Jirou stutters.

Darling –She quickly extends her arm and to hold on his husband hand- I don't know how to really put it into words but… the time they have been here, it has been so long since I was this happy, I totally forgot what it was to have little kids running around the house –

H-hanako –He tries to speak, but his wife interrupts him again.

I know what I'm asking is too sudden and is too much –She fidgets- Since they left… I've had this feeling of being incomplete as a mother, but now…! –She looks at them from the living room –

Are seriously considering it? –Jirou holds her hand tightly.

I just feel like I fell in love of them –She gives him a smile with a crackly voice- I'm so lonely here all day… darling, they don't even call home anymore, neither they answer our calls, and I still feel I have so much to give… –Her inferior lips shakes, the woman is on the verge of tears.

The man gives a loud, tired sigh and kisses the forehead of his wife gently.

I'm sorry, Hanako, I should have noticed your feelings –Jirou looks down ashamed.

No, darling –She shakes her head- I was the one who hid them from you, I didn't wanted to put this burden on you –

Hanako… fine, I'm going to be honest to you –He holds tight on her hands- This is too sudden, and I don't feel like I can be a father again –

Yes, I… I know –She begins to tear up.

But I don't think this situation will present again –He gives her a warm smile- Since we married we've had to take decisions together, but this time is your decision only –

Jirou… –

If you want to take them, I'll do everything possible in my hands to support your decision… let's make new family memories together –

Hanako unable to speak and holding up until the end, she runs around the table and hurries to hug her husband, who wraps her tight around his arms as she cries and screams out loud over his lap. The owls fly to the kitchen, confused and scared to hear the woman cry. They shake and poke the woman asking what happened, she doesn't answer, but she jumps to them and wraps them tight between her arms, still crying.

It's late night already; the kitchen is empty and the living room too. Lights on the house are switch off and everyone is on their pajamas. Jirou takes the girls to the bathroom and teaches them to brush their teeth. Hanako takes them to the room of the books and tucks them together on the bed.

Tomorrow I'll take you to the City's Library, I'm sure you will find lots of interesting books there –Hanako tells them fixing the blanket.

Seriously!? –They ask excited.

But you have to help me with the chores tomorrow, alright? –

Alright! –The rise their fists, fluttering their wings.

Professor points at the stand and asks Hanako to read them a story. Her mother, smiling wide, nods and takes the book they choose and reads them, petting their heads, until their eyes are closed. Hanako softly cares their heads, flustered and filled with happiness, she stands and walks out of the room.

Goodnight mom… –The kids whisper behind her back.

… Goodnight dears, sleep well –She tells the kids, tearing up a little.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:** _Nameko and the Reticulated Giraffe Detective._

The sun shines over Kasumigaseki, the place where the Metropolitan Police Station was built. An immense government edification which commands and coordinates the other numerous police stations in the Capital and serves as a general police institution in the country. Today marks another round for Aurora and Nameko, two Policewomen who patrol together the streets of Tokyo.

With 28 years old, Nameko is a woman of middle stature with a pear figure. Long hair tied in a single tail on her left side, a beautiful, perfiled nose and black eyes that match with the contour of her face. Nameko has been a police officer for almost 4 years and is the instructor and partner of Aurora, a recent cadet popular on the station for her beauty, grades and skills. Regardless of Aurora still being a fresh member in the police, Nameko thinks of her as an equal. And now with both of them being assigned to the same Cerulean Security Bureau, their relationship has grown even stronger.

On the parking lot of the police station, Nameko is resting inside of her patrol, leaning on the seat with her eyes closed until Aurora gets inside of the car with a basket of two coffee cups and a bag with pastries. The smell of the fresh made coffee wakes Nameko up, who smiles to Aurora as she sits in the passenger seat. She takes the cup and lifts the lid, inhaling deeply over it.

"Ah, the coffee from the store is really something else." Nameko whispers on bliss.

"Why the coffee on the police station always sucks anyway?" Aurora asks while checking on the pastries.

"Because all we know to do is tea." Nameko groans.

"That might be the problem." Aurora laughs, covering her mouth.

Nameko blushes sipping on the coffee, watching the charming smile of her partner. "A-anyway…" She looks for her keys to start the car, "What are our orders for today?"

"Captain Jirou told us to do the usual patrolling over the places where the Alfa Ceruleans showed up but… "

"But…?" The woman starts the car.

"He was distracted today; he also was trying to contact Mirai for something that happened on his home."

"Did a Cerulean showed up on his house?" Nameko asked.

"I'm not sure… he insists everything is okay," Aurora shrugs, "But when people asked him more about it he just had this… expression."

"Expression?" Nameko hits the pedal and slowly drives out of the station.

"Like… Really happy." Aurora comments to her.

"Eh? Is that something to be worried about?" Nameko chuckles. A melodious tune starts playing from one of the pockets on Aurora's uniform, she picks up and giggles while texting. "W-who's that?" Nameko asks, turning left on a street light.

"Brown Bear, I gave her a phone not so long ago."

"Ah…" The woman sighs relieved.

"What about you, did you give a phone to Giraffe?" Aurora asked her.

"No," Nameko shakes her head, "To Gray Wolf, Giraffe would probably lose it."

"They really have a problem when it comes to obey you." Aurora tells her typing on her phone, the two looked at each other when they stopped at a red light. Nameko was surprised, Aurora was embarrassed.

"You just said 'obey' right?" Nameko asks her baffled.

"I guess… I never really thought too much about it." She fixes her hair, avoiding looking at her partner.

"Aurora, I shouldn't be the one telling you this but…" Nameko sighs and frowns, "They aren't game characters anymore, we can't expect for them to 'obey' us."

Aurora shrugs and flusters, the light changes and Nameko presses on the pedal. "For me is like having three more familiars to take care of," the black haired girls says breathing deeply, more composed, "I guess I expect them to obey me since I act with them the same way I act with my little bro."

"Oh, I'm sorry for misunderstand you," Nameko shares smiles with the girl, "A familiar uh? I guess in my case it would be like babysitting my nephews."

Aurora snorts, moving the coffee away to don't drop it. "Are your nephews that bad?"

"They're terrible." Nameko answers, laughing with her, "Giraffe and the others certainly remind me of them. Giraffe always goes out in her 'investigations' and the other two just follow her around to mess with her."

Driving inside of a neighborhood, Nameko slows down the speed of the car, lowering the windows. When passing near to a small park in the neighborhood, they find Grey Wolf, Giraffe and King Cobra brawling with some little kids. Aurora can't help but laugh and palm Nameko's shoulder as the other just groans in despair.

"Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors!" Three kids screaming again and again fighting against Giraffe in a battle of rock, paper and scissors. Gray Wolf was sitting on one of the swings, drawing on a sketchbook while staring the scene. Cobra notices her and approaches to her from behind.

"What are you doing?" Cobra leans to take a peek on her sketchbook.

"I'm getting some inspiration to make my new story." The wolf-girl says, drawing Giraffe facial expressions.

"A story about kids playing rock, paper, scissors?" Cobra asks her, turning her sight to the scene, "Something that dull won't sell."

"Uhm, you may be right," Gray Wolf frowns placing the pencil over her superior lip, thinking, "I know!" She takes the pencil back and screams at the kids "Hey little ones! If you win Giraffe at rock, paper, scissors, she will show her panties to you!"

"From 0 to 100 real quick!" Cobra jumps shocked.

"For real!?" The kids ask, impressed and flustered, "C'mon Giraffe sis! We are going to win this!"

Giraffe, red like a tomato, stutters and babbles trying to take back Gray Wolf's deal, but the kids don't give her the time to think and launch their next attack. "Wait! Wait! I'm not d-doing that! And three against one i-is not fair!" Giraffe cries to them, trying to answer the kid picks one after one, managing to end in a draw in each one.

"Kids are cruel creatures…" Cobra mumbles looking away embarrassed.

"This is it! These are some great expressions!" Wolf says, drawing like crazy on the sketchbook.

The draw loop suddenly ends, the kids all pull rock when Giraffe pulls scissors. The girl shakes and takes some steps back, so red she's boiling. The kids, menacing with a wicked expression, slowly approach Giraffe making her run away, them chasing her around the park, running in circles.

Gray Wolf laughs loudly as Cobra sighs embarrassed; a tune comes out from the skirt of the wolf-girl. She takes a breath and tries to recover her composure, picking up on the phone and placing it on her ear. "Yes? Nameko?" Wolf asks still giggling. Cobra turns to her startled, looking around the park, her face slowly turning on an expression full of fear as she shakes Wolf by the shoulder, trying to get her attention, but the girl just ignores her.

"Huh? Us? We are in the apartment like you asked us to do today; you don't have to call every time to check on us you know?" Wolf tells Nameko on the phone, Cobra shakes her shoulder harder. "Giraffe?" Wolf stares at the girl who is holding on her skirt so the kids can't pull it "She's in the living room watching Detective Conan, yes, she's behaving well."

"Why are you like this?" Nameko holds tight on the wolf-girl head, the wolf lets out a long, silent scream as she stays petrified on the swing. Nameko turns to Cobra, who quickly looks away whistling nervously.

The policewoman walks to the Giraffe next and coughs loudly. "If you keep touching her, I'll have to arrest you for sexual harassment." Nameko tells them with a very aggressive voice, the kids run away once they see the badge on her uniform.

Giraffe, sobbing and shaking, mumbles trying to thank Nameko, but the look on the eyes of the woman just petrifies her the same way it did with Wolf. Nameko sighs and takes her from the left hand, dragging her as Giraffe keeps sobbing.

Aurora gets out of the car, trying her best to contain her laughs, walking to the girls as Nameko smacks their heads and scolds them. "Just how many times do I have to tell you to don't go out when I'm not around!?" She swings her fist threatening them; the girls cover their heads on reflex.

"Gray Wolf was the one who proposed it!" Giraffe points at her sobbing.

"Eh? But if I remember well you were the one who wanted to get out." Wolf shrugs trying to slide the blame.

"I just wanted some fresh air…" Cobra comments and rubs the bump on her head.

"Nameko, I think what they're trying to say is staying all day in the apartment is boring." Aurora joins the discussion petting Giraffe's head.

"Yes! Is like Miss Aurora says!" Giraffe tells Nameko, slowly recovering her upbeat attitude.

"Well, if you really are bored, you should join the Cerulean patrol unit with Brown Bear and the others." Nameko tells them, their faces are all of disgust and doubt.

"I'm not interested in such tiresome business." Cobra says hissing.

"Neither am I," Wolf tells to Nameko, stroking her chin, "It would consume the time I use to write and draw, I can't let it interrupt my creative time."

Nameko gazes to Aurora while pointing at them. "See what I have to deal with everyday?"

Aurora can't help but laugh awkwardly. "What about you Giraffe? I thought you will be the more interested of all in working with the police."

Giraffe gives her a smug expression, spinning around, she places herself in front of the group "Actually, right now this Detective has her hands on a case!" The girl strikes a serious pose; the others look at her in doubt.

"She says she's on a case." Aurora tells Nameko curious, pointing at the girl.

"Eh!? You won't ask me!?" Giraffe reacts shocked.

"Lately, women walking on the neighborhood have gotten their purses stolen when walking on the streets," Nameko pulls the ear of Giraffe, "Since she hear about it, she's been going out 'investigating' and 'looking for clues' around," The woman groans looking at the girl who looks down scared, "But what she actually do is give me a headache."

"But are they really having their purses stolen?" Aurora asks intrigued.

"Yes, I already filled the paperwork needed on the station," Nameko comments her gesturing and releasing Giraffe, "Is just a matter of time for the culprit to be caught, but Giraffe insists on to keep investigating."

"Of course I have to!" Giraffe pouts, "Do you really think the police can catch a monster!?"

"A monster you say?" Aurora turns to the girl, confused.

"When we asked the women for a description of the perpetrator, they all insisted it was some kind of monster who stole their purses" Nameko tells her sighing.

"That's why Giraffe is so excited to solve the case, uh?" Aurora says giggling.

"Exactly! Obviously, only a Friend can solve such mystery!" Giraffe strikes a pose.

"Giraffe, there are no monsters going around stealing the purses of people!" Nameko tells her waving her fist.

After arguing for another ten minutes, Nameko chooses to leave the girls by their own with the condition of going back to the apartment before the sun sets. Aurora has to pull the woman back to the car because she wouldn't stop scolding the girls. They wave at her as the car disappears in the distance.

"ALRIGHT, IS DETECTIVE TIME!" Giraffe screams at the sky, striking a pose.

"What do you mean with that 'Detective Time'? 'Detective Time' my tail, you almost got us grounded again." Cobra hisses at her, pissed off.

"And how do you expect to gather more evidence? The kids you were going to get a confession from ran away," Wolf tells Giraffe scratching her hair, "Isn't it enough for today? I too am getting tired of being sent back home."

"Eh? What's with that attitude all of a sudden? We were so close to make them talk!" Giraffe pouts with a disappointed tone.

"Let's suppose we search for the kids again, where do you expect to find them?" Gray Wolf asks her.

"If they're still playing around," Cobra interrupts them pointing at the same direction Nameko's car went, "Maybe they're in the other park that is a couple of blocks from here."

Wolf facepalms herself as Giraffe lets out a surprised screech, it takes a couple of seconds for Cobra to understand what she has done; the snake-girl gestures to wolf, apologizing.

"That's it! We'll go there!" Giraffe turns around and runs to the other park.

Wolf smacks Cobra's shoulder as she mumbles more apologies, they walk slowly and reluctant, following Giraffe's smoke trail. As Cobra suggested, they do find the kids playing on one of the seesaws of the park. When Giraffe confronts them, they instantly run away to the exit, but Cobra, with a devilish facial expression, makes them stop dead over their feet.

"W-we won't give you anything! You won't show your panties after all!" One of the kids yells at Giraffe as the others hide behind him.

"I'm telling that wasn't part of the deal!" Giraffe pouts flustered.

"Just let the kids see some panties and you'll get your answers." Gray Wolf insists smiling from ear to ear.

"Master, why do you always like to put me in situations like this!?" Giraffe skin color gets redder.

Suddenly the girls are interrupted from their discussion – BLAM – A thunderous sound makes all jump startled. Cobra appears from outside of the park, holding a white bag and walking to the group; she takes it with both hands and opens it, revealing the content of the bag full of candies and soda cans of many different colors and sizes. The kids look at it with hunger; you can hear them gulp down saliva.

"Here, you can have all of this if you tell us what we want to know" Cobra smiles to them, shaking the bag.

The kids don't even think it twice, they take the bag and sit on the floor, lurking inside of it with their hands, making surprised noises as they find the sodas are cold and the candies are some expensive ones they would never be able to afford.

"Cobra…" Giraffe looks at her sobbing "Thank you so much!" She jumps and squishes the snake girl, who silently blushes and looks away.

Wolf makes a camera hand gesture at the girls while giggling. "This may sell," she whispers.

The kids after taking some bites on the candies; look at each other, thinking deeply. "Fine, we'll tell you" The bigger kid says, pushing the smallest of the three in front of the group of girls. They look down at him confused.

"Two days ago… I saw it," the kid starts talking in a low tone, "I was walking back home with mom when it happened, the monster showed out of nowhere and took mommy's purse, then escaped running in the top of the walls."

"Can you describe this 'monster'?" Giraffe asks nodding and pulling a small notebook, she types as the kid talks.

"It was small… blue… and it had one eye." The boy tells her, trying to recall the incident the most possible.

The girls look at each other by reflex, worried; they quickly group with a certain distance away from the kids. "A blue creature with one eye, could it be possible?" Wolf asks worried.

"No way, why would a Cerulean go around stealing purses? They may be different from the ones in the game, but that is just too much!" Cobra hisses trying to deny Wolf.

"But the description matches a Cerulean, we should look into the possibility one of them is behind all of the robberies." Giraffe tells them excited.

"Are you going to believe the description of some little kid? He may be imagining all of that." The snake girl now hisses at Giraffe.

"For now let's not mention the 'C' word again," Wolf tells them raising her hand "If it comes to worst and is what we are thinking, we may have to ask Nameko for help, since regular cops won't be able to deal with this, we should leave the Bureau take care of it."

"What?" Giraffe pouts loudly, "But this is our great chance! If we find the culprit ourselves, we will be true Detectives!"

"Don't you mean just you?" Cobra and Wolf angrily ask her in unison.

The Giraffe-girl, ashamed, takes a few steps back, shocked, unable to answer back to them, she just looks down and sobs, the girls sigh.

Wolf walks back to the kids and asks the little one for the location where his mom got stolen. She thanks them for their collaboration and they smile with their teeth full of stains of chocolate and candy and burping from the soda cans. Once they're done with the kids, Cobra, Giraffe and Wolf walk out of the park in search of the place where the creature appeared.

"Now that I think about it," Wolf turns to Cobra, "How did you get all of that stuff? I thought we ran out of the money Nameko gave us."

"Eh!? We did!?" Giraffe interrupts them screaming.

"Well, if only _some_ girls wouldn't have used all of this week's money buying their fancy notebooks and shinning pencils." Cobra hisses at them.

The girls quickly hide the evidence behind their backs, whistling nervously.

"Never mind that," Wolf coughs flustered, "If we ran out of money, how did you buy all the candies."

Cobra looks aside embarrassed while pointing to the other side of the street. Giraffe and Cobra look at the direction she's pointing at and quickly feel a shiver all over their backs, jaws dropped and shaking like they saw a ghost. Two expending machines broken with two big holes in the glass, with the same kind of candies and beverages the kids were gulping down.

"Is over… We are SO grounded this time." Wolf falls on the floor and starts crying.

"Cobra… I take it back… the next time I need help… just don't," Giraffe leans on the wall with her head, all her upbeat attitude was once again sucked off.

"T-that's just how I do these things alright!?" Cobra stomps on the ground, feeling guilty all over, "And Nameko won't know if we don't tell her!"

"That's right!" Wolf stands back up in a blink and wipes her tears, with a swing of moods, she runs and holds in Cobra's hands "That's exactly right; she won't find out if we don't tell her! You're a genius!"

The wolf girl takes some steps back and makes the camera hand gesture again. "Uhm, yes, this will definitely sell," she waves her tail moving her hands to Giraffe, "A clumsy Detective who fails in the most basic things," she moves her gesture back to Cobra, "And a rude Detective who will break the law to make the case reach a conclusion and find the culprit." Wolf nods, proud of her narration and pulls out her sketchbook. "A chaotic combination of Friend Detectives who solve cases together, this will sell, this will sell so good!" her tail waving like crazy as she frenetically draws on the paper.

"Master… That sounds amazing! I'll buy it, I definitely would buy it!" Giraffe runs to gaze in Wolf's sketchbook.

"Excuse me!?" Cobra turns, hissing and menacing, she points to Giraffe with disgust, "Like hell I'm working as a Detective, much less with a dumb-head like her."

"Come again!? Dumb-head!?" Giraffe pouts.

The two girls stand in front of each other, tension growing in their eyes.

"Yes dumb-head! You're a dumb-head and I'll say it again d-u-m-b-h-e-a-d!" Cobra's tongue comes out all the way hissing.

"You were the one who broke the vending machine! You're the dumb head!" Giraffe points at her with a condescending smile.

"That's how I do business! If you want to look in the blame, maybe we'll talk about your mistakes!" Cobra points right back at her, "Like three weeks ago when we got grounded because you broke Nameko's house phone to see if someone was recording our calls!"

Giraffe takes a step back, her smile and confidence quickly fades away.

"Or the past month when you made us chase a running athlete on a race for almost ten blocks because you thought he was fleeing from a robbery?" The snake girls point more aggressively.

"Ugh" Giraffe shakes, she can't recover from the blows.

"Or last week when you tried to put in jail the neighbor's parakeet because it kept talking about murdering scenes from the show Mr. Hanada watches every night!" Cobra says, frustrated, her rage building up.

Wolf turns her face to a side, containing her laugh "I was the one who suggested her that though," she thought.

Giraffe drops in the floor, defeated and unable to respond, her mumbling slowly drowning on her sobbing.

"Ah man…" Wolf scratches the back of her head and sighs, "Cobra, I think you over did it this time…"

The snake-girl hisses – HUMPF – She looks aside frustrated and guilty.

"Bu… bu…" Giraffe stutters, sobbing and rubbing her eyes.

"Bu?" Cobra and Wolf ask in unison.

"BUAAHHH!" The girl breaks on tears, screaming loudly, inconsolable.

"Ah, look I knew this was going to happen," the wolf-girl walks to Giraffe and slowly pets her head, "There, there, you're a good girl and Cobra didn't really mean she said, right, Cobra?"

"U-uhm… I'm sorry Giraffe… I went too far…" The snake girl, flustered, shakes her hands apologizing.

But the Giraffe girl just screams louder, her voice echoing in the streets.

"Argh, to begin with why does she tries so hard to be a Detective, is obviously not her thing" Cobra asks to Wolf covering her ears over her hood.

"Ah? Didn't you know?" Wolf chuckles lowering her animal ears and covering the others with her fingers, "That's because of Nameko."

"But Nameko is a cop…" Cobra says hissing.

Giraffe's crying gets so loud they no longer can hear their own thoughts, but all of a sudden – HYAAAAH! – A screaming from the next street draws their attention, even enough to make Giraffe stop crying.

"That's the street the kid mentioned us!" Wolf shakes Giraffe's shoulder, "This is your chance, Detective!" She smiles to the girl while showing her thumbs up.

Giraffe blushes slowly "Master… yes, you're right!" She wipes her tears and stands up "Evildoers better get ready for me!" The girl runs to the street striking an awkward pose.

Cobra and Wolf look at each other, sighing, next to some comforting giggles before following Giraffe's smoke trail again.

Quickly, the animal girls turn in the street where the screams were coming from. They find a woman in the floor, sobbing and scared; they run to her and help her stand.

"Please help me! Something stole my purse!" The woman cries.

"Where did it go!?" Giraffe asks excited.

"Eh? It crawled on the wall and ran away…" The woman points at the direction she was coming from.

"Alright!" The Giraffe-girl runs without thinking twice.

"Giraffe don't be so hasty!" Gray Wolf screams to her, but is already too late, "We'll get your purse back Miss, please wait," she smiles to the woman before she and Cobra set off.

Giraffe runs, breathing heavy, she turns left in two streets with any visible result, looking up searching for the creature with no success. Suddenly, a small noise calls her attention – kikiki – the small screech of an animal near her, the girl looks at her surroundings until she finally see it. A small, four legged, blue creature with one eye, was standing in two feet, and a long tail over the wall, with a purse on its hands. The Giraffe stutters over her own excitement and points at the creature striking a pose "The culprit… is you!"

The creature jumps startled from the scream of the girl and flees away running over the wall. With a smile from ear to ear Giraffe pursues the creature around without noticing she's walking out of the neighborhood. It doesn't take much for Cobra and Wolf to rach her as the three run inside of a bazaar.

The place is full of people walking around, visiting stores and minding their own business when the girls come in. With synchrony and an amazing reflect sense, the three go running, squeezing themselves in the multitude, sliding under food carts and jumping over the stalls, making uproar as they pass by.

"Where it is!?" Cobra asks panting.

"There! That is the creature!" She points up at the phone cable lines the creature climbed to run away.

"That thing… it _does_ look like a Cerulean!" Wolf tells them while panting all over.

"We should call Nameko after all!" Cobra screams.

"Alright… But after I catch it first, of course!" Giraffe yells and increases her speed.

"Wait! I'm telling you to don't be so hasty!" Wolf tries to hold her back but Giraffe is just too fast.

Climbing on the phone lines, the creature jumps from one post to another, getting further away from Giraffe's hands, the monster hops inside a broken window of an abandoned building a couple of blocks away. The other two girls finally catch up with Giraffe, who's panting on the street waiting for the light to change so she can cross and continue her chase.

"Ah… hah… It would be so nice to have Wild Charge just now…" Wolf says panting, holding on her legs.

"Please Giraffe… give us five minutes" Cobra begs, sweating.

"Just one last push! We have it cornered!" Giraffe says breathing heavy, waiting for the change of light, impatiently.

"Uhm, excuse me… girls?" A male voice interrupts their chatter from behind.

Once they turn around the three of them freezes like ice, an old man with a police uniform was chasing them, he points back angry at the direction of the bazaar. Boys and girls crying over their balloons which Cobra made explode with her tail, a couple of stalls broken in half by Wolf and some people who fell in the floor trying to stand up. The three look at each other with sweating, they're already rubbing their heads in advance, "Crap," they whisper depressed.

"Would you mind coming with me for a second? I think you have a lot to explain" The official tells them nervously.

On the other side of the city, Aurora and Nameko keep with their usual patrolling, when they take a stop in front of a convenience store for Nameko to answer a call.

"Yes… this is Nameko… Oh! Sakurada! How have you been?" The woman asks cheerfully.

"Who is that?" Aurora asks her confused.

"An old partner from the station," Nameko tells her holding on the phone for a second and putting it back on her ear, "So, what happens?" She wonders while playing with the steering wheel.

Nameko turns mute for an entire minute, her face slowly dropping from cheerful to angry.

"Right… right… I'll be right there, see you until then" She drops the call and takes a very long deep breath before starting the call again.

"D-don't tell me…" Aurora stutters nervous.

"They really did a scene this time…" Nameko groans while setting off.

"N-nameko, I know I shouldn't put my nose in but," Aurora pats her in the shoulder, "Don't be so hard on them this time."

"That's a tall task you're asking me to do… I'm super pissed off right now…" She stresses, increasing her speed "Just why is she so determined to be a Detective… is not her thing."

"Oh, I thought you already knew," Aurora comments her chuckling and confusing her friend.

"W-what do you mean? Do you know something I don't?" Nameko stutters.

"Well, maybe," Aurora says with a bit of sarcasm, "is obvious to me that she's determined because of you."

"C-care to explain?" Nameko is just more confused than before.

"That's for you to find out!" Aurora tells her poking her nose, making Nameko blush.

With the sun setting, the policewomen stop in front of the police station of the bazaar, where Sakurada comes out to receive Nameko and Aurora. Slowly, walking on shame, the three girls come out, quiet and looking down.

"They have been like that all the evening," Sakurada tells the women scratching behind his neck.

"Nameko!" Aurora hisses pulling her from one of the sleeves, "Remember what I told you, and don't be so hard on them."

The girls look up slowly at Nameko, who looks at them groaning, they instantly cover their heads and look down again. Aurora and Sakurada drop some awkward laughs at the scene; Nameko takes a deep breath and turns giving the car keys to Aurora.

"I'll walk home with them; can you take the car back to the station?" Nameko asks her.

"Of course! I'll tell Brown Bear and the others you said hi." Aurora takes the keys and gives her a smile.

"Now, we need to get going too." Nameko tells the girls, taking Giraffe from a hand.

Back in the neighborhood, Giraffe looks at Nameko, who haven't said a word since she went to pick them up.

" _A-are you angry… ?_ " Giraffe asks with a weak tone, Nameko doesn't answer them.

Cobra and Wolf look at each other, unable to help them.

They go inside of their apartment without having a single word, dropping their shoes on the drawn room, they hear a small sob breaking in the silence, Giraffe is crying.

"G-giraffe… calm down, I haven't said anything yet" Nameko stutters trying to get close to her.

"But… but you're mad at me!" Giraffe says crying louder.

"Giraffe… I," Nameko hesitates, but the girl just runs away.

"I'm going to shower!" She says while crying.

Unable to stop her, Nameko just sighs and gets inside the living room when Cobra pokes her from behind.

"W-what about us… are we getting grounded again… ?" The snake-girl asks, worried.

Nameko pulls the hood of the girl down and raises her hand; the snake-girl shouts a small screech and closes her eyes scared. The gentle caresses of the woman surprise Cobra, who smiles and blushes slowly.

"Does that count for an answer?" Nameko asks blushing, Cobra nods silently.

Nameko turns and looks deeply into Wolf, who was drawing the scene.

"Eh? Me? I'm not that fan of being pet on the head…" Wolf blushes laughing awkwardly, but is not enough to convince Nameko. The woman walks to her and slowly begins to rub under her chin; the wolf-girl slowly melts over her hand, shaking her tail. "That's not fair… using my weak spot… ehehe" She says, huffing shamefully like a dog.

"If only I could get to reasoning with Giraffe." Nameko says sighing.

"W-well," Wolf coughs ashamed, "I think this is the perfect time for it, why don't you talk to her once she's out of the bathroom?" She suggest to Nameko.

"We'll stay on the living room and give you some space," Cobra adds putting her hood back on.

The evening in the apartment is a mix of feelings between comfort and angsty under the singing of the nocturnal insects. After everyone took a bath, Cobra and Grey Wolf did as promised and stayed on the living room watching TV. Nameko, shaking her hair with a towel, walked up to her where she finds Giraffe dressing up. The girl makes a little jump surprised and fixes her pajama as fast as possible.

"I-I'm d-done here, I'm sorry I was just dressing!" The girl stutters trying to find her way out of the room.

"Giraffe, sit" Nameko tells her coldly, making Giraffe stop over her tracks.

"U-uhm… I can't escape from the lecture after all, right…?" She says with a disappointed tone siting over the bed.

"Not, like that, sit in the middle and turn your back to me" Nameko tells her gesturing with her finger.

"Eh? A-alright" The girl keeps stuttering, she does as she's told, nervously.

Giraffe feels the bending of the bed as Nameko sits behind her, scared, she closes her eyes. thinking on the worst, but nothing happens. A brushing sound makes her open her eyes back again, she turns her head and sees Nameko passing a comb on her hair, the girl blushes confused and Nameko pokes her cheek.

"I can't brush your hair like this," she says while smiling, "Turn your head," she presses on her cheek to make Giraffe move her head.

"W-why are you brushing my hair? I thought you were mad at me" She asks flustered and confused.

"Well, you were the only one thinking about that," Nameko takes her hair with a hand and smells it, "Are you using the shampoo and bought for you? It doesn't smell like you're using enough of it."

"M-maybe I'm using too little..?" Giraffe giggles flustered.

"I see…" Nameko doesn't mind much in the conversation, even she was the one who started it. The girls dive in silence for some minutes until the woman speaks again. "You see, humans love long, shiny hair like yours, I myself find your hair beautiful."

"E-eh? Really? You make me blush…" Giraffe tells her scratching her cheek.

"Giraffe," the woman interrupts her while holding in her hair, "Why didn't you called for help? Is the job of the cops to solve these things, not yours."

"That's…" she mumbles, "Because I want to make you proud."

"It would have made me proud if you behaved and called the cops though" Nameko groans by reflex.

"That's not it!" Giraffe turns around pouting "That's not how I want to make you proud!"

"Well, then I don't get it" Nameko shrugs.

"Did you really forget!? The reason why you choose us! Gray Wolf and me!" The girl takes Nameko by the shoulders.

"Wait… is because of that? Do you really remember that?" Nameko trembles embarrassed.

"How could I forget? We were the best Detectives of Japari Park!" Giraffe shakes the woman, sobbing.

Nameko instantly breaks on a loud, awkward laugh, standing out of the bed and walking away. She leans on the door and tries to catch her breath back, massaging her head. "You see Giraffe…" she avoids looking directly at her, "That was just roleplaying you see? Just pretending, yes! That! Just pretending! I wasn't seriously trying to be a Detective, just acting like one" Nameko gestures nervously.

"That's not true!" Giraffe shouts, interrupting her, "You wanted to be a Detective with us because you wanted to be a Detective in your job too!" she screams holding tight on her pajama dress, "But now…"

Nameko looks at the frustrated girl and sighs, embarrassed, but determined, she walks back to Giraffe and gently pets her head, "'But now you can't ever be a Detective'… Is that what you wanted to say?" she moves her hand down slowly and caresses her face "If I remember well, you were there when I was talking about it with Aurora."

Giraffe nods. "That day you told her that you would never be a Detective while working as an agent of the Cerulean Bureau"

The woman gives a loud sigh and sits close to Giraffe. "It's true, though, now that I'm an agent of a secret agency of the government there are a lot of cons," Nameko lets out a laugh and strokes the girl's hair, "But I did it so I can keep you and the girls here with me, because you're important for me."

"That's why I have to do it in your place," Giraffe whispers, sobbing "I want to be a Detective you're proud of, I don't want your dream to go waste!" She turns to Nameko and looks deeply at her "Even if it was a fantasy for you, I want to make your dream a reality!"

Nameko's face boils on red, she jumps over Giraffe and squeezes the girl between her arms. "You're so cute Giraffe!" she yells, stroking her hair all over "Definitely you just so cute!"

In the living room, the two animals share warm smiles with each other, hearing the laughs coming from Nameko's room while watching TV. The news update over the kidnapping of an animal from the city's Zoo drowns over the noises that gradually get louder and weirder, making the two feel a bit out of place.

"L-looks like the discussion is finally solved," Cobra says. turning her face to the direction of the girly screams are coming from, "B-but just what are they doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Wolf snorts while gesturing with her finger "They're doing that, you know, that," she says with a naughty tone.

"N-no way! Nameko isn't like that!" Cobra stutters, pulling her hood down embarrassed.

"Huh! You're years away from understanding adults!" Wolf shrugs while laughing "Nameko probably is… Just messing with Giraffe's hair since she seems to have a fixation for it, but is better to mess things a little" the girl thinks, waving her tail.

Eventually the calm reigns on the place as the night consumes the end of the day, the lights are switched off on Nameko's home and every girl goes to sleep in her respective room, the day finishes over laughs rather than the usual scolding and no one is grounded this time.

The next day is a Sunday, with everyone's humor reset, the girls are waiting in the drawing room to wave goodbye at Nameko in her day at the police, hoping she lets them go out without any complain today. They find, surprised, the woman wearing casual clothes, jeans and a white t-shirt, her badge fixed on her belt.

"Alright, are you girls ready?" Nameko asks cheerfully.

"Ready for what? Aren't you going to work today?" Cobra wonders, confused.

"I told Aurora to cover me today, we have some unfinished business after all" Nameko tells them with thumbs up.

"Do you mean…!" Giraffe yells excited.

"Exactly! We have yet to solve the case of the purse thief." The woman smiles and everyone gives her a surprised sigh.

"Why the change of mind, if we can know?" Wolf asks, raising her hand in doubt.

"I guess I can't just keep ignoring this situation, I thought you may need a little of help" Nameko walks towards the girls, her tone of voice gradually changing to an aggressive one "And also because I can't let you keep making a fuss over the neighborhood, is really bad that I can't get out for an entire day without having someone calling me over because of you, little troublemakers."

"Ah, I knew it." The Wolf-girl shrugs, taking a step back scared of Nameko.

"Never mind that!" Giraffe puts herself in the middle, "Together there's no way we can't solve this, the three of us are unstoppable!" she jumps over the same place repeatedly.

"That's right," Nameko smiles and pets the girl "Let's do our best alright?"

The group sets off the house with Giraffe guiding them, who takes the rest of the girls to the abandoned building where she saw the creature last time. They cross the street and walk to the place. Is an old, abandoned elementary school that hasn't seen a single light of work on many years, rusty and decomposed. Nameko, quickly climbs and jumps over the fence, the girls surprised, but excited don't take much to follow the leader.

"Cobra, I'm pressing on your search skill" Nameko tells to the snake girl while checking on her phone.

"W-wait a minute!" Cobra whines trying to cover her face with the hood, but the woman had already pressed on the button. The snake-girl looks down, embarrassed, as her tongue comes out all the way, hissing for one long minute, out of her own control, "I-I told you to warn me before doing that!" she hisses covering her mouth.

"Anyway," Nameko ignores the girl complains, "What did you sensed?"

"T-there's three different presences inside the building… none of them is a Cerulean" Cobra says looking at Giraffe.

"But we saw it! It was a Cerulean; this just means is not in the building!" Giraffe pouts.

"No, the creature is inside," Wolf middles in, "I think I may have an idea of what is happening here already."

"Anyway, we have to look who is inside of here; if the creature uses this place to hide, the stolen purses must be here too." Nameko says walking inside the place.

"Wait for me!" Giraffe yells running.

The inside is quite terrific; the ceiling crumbles with each step, making dust fall over their heads, the smell of old and rotten is nauseating and the walls are sprayed with graffiti all over. Cobra silently points to the upper floor, in line with Nameko in the front; they climb the stairs to the first floor and hear the mumbling noises of a couple of men. Nameko gestures them with a hand a slowly walk towards a room in the bottom of the hall where the noise is coming from.

"THERE IT IS!" Giraffe screams pointing behind them.

The girls turn around surprised from the yelling – kikikiki – the blue creature walks by the group calmly and goes inside the room where the voices were coming from.

"Who is out there, show yourself or I'll kill you!" A man menaces from inside of the room.

Nameko quickly kneels and lifts the left sleeve of her pant, drawing a small gun from her ankle, the girls watch the woman excited, with eyes full of admiration as she kicks the door open and points inside of the room with her gun. "FREEZE!" she cries, finding two men over their 30s sitting beside a table full of purses.

"Crap, bro they find us out!" The small, skinny man tells to the taller, fat one.

"Shut up you imbecile!" The other yells, scratching inside his shirt "Good morning! Official, how can we exactly help you today?" He waves his hands with haughtiness; the blue creature quickly climbs over the shoulder of the skinny man.

The animal-girls slowly get inside of the room with Nameko.

"What is this? An early Halloween Party?" The fat man says laughing.

"That creature right there…" Wolf points at the shoulder of the skinny man, "Is the kidnapped monkey from the Zoo isn't it?"

"Ehhhhh? A monkey?" Giraffe whines disappointed, "So is not a Cerulean?"

"I've been telling you since yesterday that Ceruleans don't steal purses…" Cobra smacks her shoulder hissing.

"E-hem" The skinny man coughs, "We don't know what you're talking about, and this one here is our little pet, right Bro?" He looks at his companion with a nasty smile.

"Right, right," The fat man laughs smacking his leg, "We are just minding our own business here, so would you mind to leave?" His voice gradually changes, menacing Nameko.

"As if!" she instantly answered, "You two are going to jail and that monkey is going back where it belongs!" Nameko firmly points with her gun, "Now, slowly stand up, I want to see your hands."

"Nameko… you're so cool" Giraffe whispers excitedly.

The two men slowly raise his hands and stand up, looking at each other sweating nervously. "What now bro?" the skinny man asks, worried and trembling.

"Shut and see…" The other mumbles, giving Nameko a nasty smile, he lowers his hands and check on the table where the purses are.

"I told you to raise your hands!" Nameko groans, but the man ignores her.

"Wait, wait young miss, I know we can make a deal," the man takes a pack of money and throws it on the close to the feet of the woman. "What if you take that and you forget you saw us? We promise to change places to do our business."

"Right, right!" the skinny man stutter faking a smile, "We know people like you are hard workers, you probably need that money, right?" He takes the monkey on his hands stroking it while trembling.

"That's enough of jokes, don't you think?" Nameko insists, each time more angry, "You kidnapped an animal and trained it to steal the purses of people, like hell I'm going to ignore what you have done here!"

The fat man suddenly panics and squirms falling on the floor. "Hey! What are you doing—" Nameko walk to them man surprised, but he just kicks the gun out of her hands, sending it to the corner of the room. Repeating his nasty smile, he draws a knife out of his pocket and runs to the other man, taking the monkey from his hands and choking it, pointing the knife at the body of the animal.

"B-bro! What are you doing to him!?" The skinny man gestures with his hands scared.

"Bastard, you tricked me!" Nameko cries rubbing her hands.

"Hah, now what are you going to do, young woman?" He smiles while slowly walking towards the door, the monkey screams and shakes in his hand while being suffocated. "If you don't let me go, I'll rip the insides of this stupid monkey all over the floor!" He pressed the tip of the knife in the stomach of the animal.

"That's so cruel… how can you think in doing such a thing!" Giraffe trembles scared.

"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" The fat man yells to Giraffe, "So? I think you're smart enough to take the right decision, young woman, if you try to take back your weapon, it won't end well for the little pal here."

Nameko groans and scratches the back of her head, she closes her eyes and meditates the situation, making the men shake on despair. "If you're just going to stand there…!" The fat man yells and runs away trying to get out the room, but as soon as he tries to burst through the girls, he's instantly knocked on the face by Giraffe and Wolf fists. The man falls unconscious on the floor, releasing the monkey which part of his makeup worn out because of the sweat of the man's hand and the fake eye on his head fell over due to all the shaking.

"So it was really a monkey… what a disappointment" Giraffe says rubbing her hand.

"You really should practice your deduction skills," Wolf tells her shaking her hand, "Ugh, fighting without Wild Charge is a problem, I hope this fat-ass didn't break my fingers…"

"Nice one there, Giraffe, Gray Wolf!" Nameko tells them smiling.

The skinny man trembles, he screams in fear and turns around, trying to jump out of the window, but Cobra's tail holds him from an ankle and pulls him back inside the room, slamming the man against a wall, making it drop unconscious too. "Huh, what a coward" The snake girl hisses.

"Cobra… I think you over did it" Nameko facepalms herself.

"W-why only me!?" Cobra whines embarrassed.

After handcuffing the men and putting the monkey inside of a cage, Nameko calls the police calls Sakurada over the phone and makes him pick up the thieves in front of the building along with the monkey in the cage.

"Nameko _? What is going to happen with him?_ " Giraffe asks to the woman with a weak tone, pointing at the monkey.

"Well, I guess he can't go back to the Zoo once they find out what he has been doing." Nameko frowns looking at the cage.

"But that's not fair, not of this was his fault!" the girl holds on the sleeve of the woman, "Can't you do something to help him?"

The Giraffe girl looks at her with puppy eyes, which make Nameko turn her face to Sakurada.

"E-eh? Well," The man stutters, "If you come with me and do the paper, you can skip the part where he was stealing purses, but if I do it instead, I won't lie about it."

"So, there you have it," Nameko says, petting Giraffe, "Guess in the end, I'm going to have to work today too, I know you don't want me to things half cooked after all."

"Nameko…!" Giraffe jumps over her and squishes the woman.

Waving their goodbyes, Nameko gets in the car with Sakurada and the cage of the monkey over her lap. The car stars and the girls smile at each other satisfied, ready to turn around and leave, when Nameko lowering the window of the door down and yells at them.

"I forgot to tell you something!" she says, gesturing them to come closer.

"Uh? What is it?" Giraffe happily asks singing.

"I found out about the vending machines, the three of you are grounded for a week." Nameko says, smiling from ear to ear, signaling to Sakurada to depart, the woman chuckles, looking the girls drop cold dead on the floor from the back mirror, hearing the scream in frustration in the distance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:** _Extermination._

 **DATE: OCTOBER-XX-20XX**

 **AGENT: AURON**

 **NOTE Nº: 00001**

 _Today my sister, another two agents and I have been assigned to a mission in the outsides of the city, on request of Miss Mirai, we are to keep all progress noted on this journal application she installed in our phones, since the information is sent directly at her, with the purpose to obtain data._

 _The JSDF is fast to welcome us; they have sheltered the place and formed a perimeter around the limits of the place we are going to. Once again, Mirai's connections don't fail to surprise me. Soon, we will reach a facility of the game corporation where Mirai said they were doing 'tests' of the game and was infected with a huge sprout of Alfa Ceruleans. The installations have been properly evacuated by the JSDF and put into quarantine for the moment we arrive. They made my sister fill some papers before opening the gates so we could get in._

 **END OF NOTE**

"Are we there yet? It feels like you've been driving for HOURS!" A feminine voice complains from inside of Aurora's car. The automobile is climbing a long steep slope of a dirt road in the mountains, the force the engine uses trying to reach the peak echoes in the forest.

"I-I wasn't going to complain, but Jaguar is getting motion sick, s-so we'll like to know h-how much is left". Another voice stutters from the car, this one also from a girl.

"I'm so sorry, is taking a while because of the dirt road, but we are almost there!" Aurora turns her face inside of the car apologizing, then turns her sight back to the track, sighing, "I should have listened to the JSDF when they offered us one of their trucks to come here," the woman rubs her eyes and yawns.

 **NOTE Nº: 00002**

 _Once we reach the location, our mission is to deploy the ZAP skill system Miss Mirai added to all our Friends, and use this skill to eradicate every single Alfa Cerulean in the place. The JSDF was unable to deal with these monsters; they said and I quote 'the creatures could absorb the impact of the shots and disintegrate the bullets inside of their bodies', and since they can't bomb the place or it will draw too much attention from the city making it really hard to cover it with the news, we have been commissioned with this job._

 _Oh… it seems we are finally here._

 **END OF NOTE**

By the moment the car stops, the back doors open wide and a Friend of black fur jumps out of the car, panting and exhausted, she coughs while rubbing her stomach. She is followed by another Friend, Aurora's group and Auron and his Friends.

Aurora switched off the car and yawns loudly, the woman rests her forehead over the sterling wheel while groaning when Brown Bear pokes the window – HYAAH! – The woman screams surprised. She looks at the animal-girl with tired eyes and gets out of the car.

"Are you ok? You have been acting like that the entire morning is starting to worry me." Brown Bear tells the woman while frowning.

"Do I look ok to you…? Let's just get over this," The woman says softly palming her cheeks, "EVERYBODY ROUND UP!" Aurora yells gesturing with her hand.

Immediately, African Wild Dog and Golden Snub-nose Monkey appear in front of her, they're followed by Auron, Lion, Aurochs and Oryx, who quickly group and start chatting. The black-fur Friend takes a deep breath and goes back to the car pulling out a wheelchair and setting it up on the floor, next the Friend goes back in and comes out helping a woman to sit in the wheelchair, bringing her to the group.

Lastly the other Friend of long hair who was stretching up sighs and jumps back in the car, dragging by the neck a sleeping Friend and a human girl who was wearing the same black suit as the others, but with a pink puffer jacket and sunglasses, fast asleep.

"How are they still sleeping? I could swear she was whining just minutes ago." The girl in the wheelchair says.

"Silver Fox, please wake them up." Aurora tells her, groaning.

"I'm so sorry!" The friend hurries, bows and apologizes to the woman then she shakes and slaps the two girls. "Wake up! WAKE UP! We have a mission to do!" She shakes them strongly by the neck until the girls react, rubbing her cheeks from the slapping.

"Silver Fox why you hit me? I was having the coziest dream…" The blonde Friend whines.

"Because Silver Fox is a party pooper and doesn't know fun" The girl in the pink puffer says, rubbing her cheek.

"A-hem!" Aurora coughs, "Sorry to interrupt your chatter, but we have some business to do."

"Another party-pooper…" The girl in sunglasses says while shrugging, walking in the group.

"Seems we are ready now…" Aurora says, looking at the group, the woman goes back to the car, unzipping a black bag and dragging a notepad, switching it on."The place is totally infested of Alpha Ceruleans; Friends are commanded to never let their humans go by their own inside of the installation."

"YES SIR." The animal-girls sing in unison.

"We are to deploy the ZAP system and note combat information from it," Aurora continues, "Don't let any Cerulean escape from the place, and use all availed meanings to destroy them if possible."

"YES SIR." This time the whole groups answer to her.

The girl gives a loud, awful yawn in front of the group, making them give her some awkward giggles. "Today I will not join… as you can see I'm really tired… I'll put Auron in charge… is that ok for you?" Aurora says, looking at her brother, the boy doesn't answer, he's spacing out looking at the mountains, Lion looks at him worried. "Hey! Earth calling Auron!" The girl yells, the boy jumps startled and everybody laughs.

"Argh, never mind that, then…" She turns to the girl in the wheelchair, "Fuyumin, you're in charge of the mission, is that ok with you?" Aurora asks to the girl smiling.

"M-m-m-me!? It'll be an honor!" Fuyumi stutters with a raspy voice, her face quickly blushing.

" _How nice of her to put you in charge, right, Fuyumi? Let's make her proud!_ " The black-fur Friend whispers to Fuyumi in the ear, giggling, Fuyumi nods with an intense expression. "A-all the way in, Jaguar!"

"Good, that is all, the outsides of the place are well protected by the JSDF, so take your time and check every place corner of the place properly; we can't leave any Alpha Ceruleans running around." The woman says getting back in the car and lifting the seat, quickly turning around to sleep.

"W-w-well, you heard her… I mean me! Let's get in now!" Fuyumi stutters as Jaguar pushes her chair from behind.

The others follow her walking slowly, Lion keeps looking at Auron worried. "Is everything okay?" She wonders.

"Yes… sorry I'm just a bit distracted that is all." He says, smiling and petting the cat-girl head.

" _Aurora…?_ " Brown Bear whispers from the door of the car, "If you aren't coming… then what is going to happen to us?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Aurora mumbles without turning around, "Without my phone you can't ZAP or use your abilities, you're staying on standby with me." She says scratching her back, yawning.

The bear-girl groans disappointed, slowly falling on the floor "No way… I thought we would finally do something more than surveillance today…" She pouts.

"But surveillance is just as much tiring as fighting Ceruleans Bear," Wild Dog tells her smiling, "I don't mind having today free! This place is huge, there's plenty of space to play around!" She says extending her arms.

"Wild Dog, you shouldn't risk your luck saying comments like that…" Golden Monkey tells her with a worried expression, "Because knowing Bear she would… look, is already happening." She points at the bear-girl who is stroking her chin, thinking carefully.

"Ugh… I know that expression." Wild Dog says scared.

The girl stays like that for another silent moment until she bumps her own hand. "I get it!" She says with a smile, "Let's use this time to train, Wild Dog say it herself, this place is big enough to train around!"

"To PLAY, to P-L-A-Y" Wild Dog yells stomping on the floor frustrated.

"You're talking to a workaholic…" Golden Monkey says with an awkward laugh.

"Can we? Aurora can we!?" Brown Bear asks the tired girl excited.

"Alright, just do it in a place where you can't wake me up." Aurora tells her waving her hand in goodbye.

"You heard her!" Bear turns to the girls, huffing. "Let's go to the forest! I'm going to make your bodies sweat a lot!"

 **NOTE Nº: 00003**

 _The installation is bigger than our high school; it covers almost the size of a football stadium and is five floors tall. Even for all of us registering the building doesn't seem like an easy task, but for what Mirai told us, once we engage with the Ceruleans, the others will appear._

 _Our group is formed by four agents and nine Friends, with my sister as the leader. It was formerly made by the two of us, but the other two joined voluntarily. The first in doing it was Fuyumi, a college friend of my sister, she calls her 'Fuyumin', but Fuyumi doesn't let anyone else call her like that, her Friend is Black Jaguar. Fuyumi is a disabled girl of the age of my sister, she's very shy, but very reliable, it seems she joined because she admires my sister and is always trying to get recognition from her, I'm not sure if my sister is totally aware of this situation or not._

 _The second to voluntary was Chisaki Hagimura, or how she likes to be called: 'Charming Crystal' or just 'Crystal'. She's a pro-gamer and an Internet Idol sensation; her Friends are Red Fox and Silver Fox. Crystal is always complaining and whining, she never listens in our meetings and it doesn't seem she enjoys being here either. I'm really not sure why she volunteered for this job when is obvious she doesn't want to be here._

 **END OF NOTE**

With a single slash of her claws, Jaguar breaks the padlock on the fence and Aurochs and Oryx open the gates while the cat-girl helps Fuyumi to get in. The group walks in slowly, quietly, they analyze the surroundings; the place is on a dead silence.

"Maybe they ran away." Crystal yawns loudly, fixing her glasses.

"That's not p-possible, the JSDF w-would have noticed." Fuyumi says looking at her.

The girl draws a comb from her jacket and starts brushing her hair. "Why don't say they ran away and go back home, that would save us time." She says.

"C-Crystal, w-we can't leave those things around here, they can h-hurt humans!" Fuyumi replies to her, annoyed, she turns to Auron next, "B-by the way… why is Aurora so tired?"

"Work… College, then work again, and now these missions and reunions… is amazing she hasn't collapsed yet." Auron answers automatically, looking away and spacing out, Lion pouts to him, angry.

"But Fuyumi," Silver Fox middles while fixing the clothes of her sleepy partner, "I can't smell a Cerulean anywhere here, maybe they did run away." The fox-girl says stroking Red Fox's hair.

"What… really!?" Fuyumi looks up to Jaguar, who scratches her nose and nods silently. "B-but that's not possible, if they r-ran away the JSDF should have t-told us instead of letting us in… what d-do we do now!?" She turns her face to Auron, "I can't g-go back and tell that to Aurora… I… I…" The girl stutters and trembles.

Everybody turns to Auron, who is one again spacing out, looking directly at Lion. The girl shakes and blushes until she flicks his nose. "Earth calling Auron, are you sure everything is okay?" she asks blushing.

The boy covers his nose and nods. "Yes... I'm just, erhm… thinking," the boy takes a pebble-stone from the ground and looks to Fuyumi, "They're here, we just haven't called their attention yet." Auron throws the stone inside of the place and the ground begins to shake.

"I can smell them now… a huge one is coming!" Jaguar yells while moving Fuyumi away from the fuss.

"So they w-were hiding in the underground!?" Fuyumi asks, holding on the chair.

The soil erupts in an explosion of dirt and dust; the Friends quickly react by protecting their kids from the explosion. The cloud starts to dissipate and the roar of a beast can be heard echoing in the mountains. A gorilla and a bear shaped Cerulean appear screaming and making a fuss, each one the size of a small house, they focus their sight on the Friends in front of them and quickly charge against the group.

"Quickly, everyone defense formation—. " Fuyumi cries, gesturing with her arms, but is interrupted by Aurochs and Oryx, who jumps in the air and smash the heads of the Ceruleans, pushing them back and making the creatures crash with the walls of the building.

"Hey! We are supposed to wait for orders before charging in this!" Lion says, waving at the girls while laughing.

"Let us take care of this Lady Lion!" Aurochs screams, clenching her fist, defiant.

"We won't let Lady Lion use her hands against unworthy foes again!" Oryx adds, drawing her spear and striking a battle pose.

"Ah, that couple of dumb heads." Lion groans scratching the back of her head, "Sorry Fuyumi, I know is not what you wanted, but let them take on these two." She gestures to her apologizing.

"F-fine, but do it fast, we need to g-get inside the place." Fuyumi nods to the cat-girl with a smile.

"So, you heard her!" Lion says, smacking Auron's back, "You have to give them a hand."

"R-right! Sorry" The boy stutters taking his phone out of his pocket, Lion holds in his free hand and slowly leans on his shoulder.

"Geez, is Aurora's brother fine?" Crystals asks while whining, "He's been acting really dumb all this morning."

"L-like you're one to talk," Fuyumi chuckles on sarcasm, "As f-far as I care he's the strongest of all, he's a-allowed to be a little distracted."

"Sounds more like you want to win his thrust so he talks good things about you with her sister," Crystals tells her with a grin, making Fuyumi stutter embarrassed and Jaguar to stand in the middle of them.

"Please don't get anymore close of Fuyumi, you're troubling her." The cat-girl shouts with a firm voice.

"S-sorry Jaguar," Silver Fox says while dragging Crystal away from the neck, "I take my eyes off her for a second and there she goes!" the girl throws a tantrum trying to release from her hands. "Why are you always looking for trouble!?" Silver Fox asks her, waving her tail furiously.

"Silver Fox… game, please." The somnolent Red Fox gestures to her partner.

"I know, I know… geez, is like babysitting two little brats." The fox-girls say, pulling a portable game console from her pocket and giving it to Red Fox, wiping the dust of the explosion from her face. "You should also keep an eye over Crystal you know?" Silver Fox says pouting.

"Can't do, playing" Red Fox answers shortly, switching on the console.

The girls are interrupted by the sound of the fight – BLAM! CRASH! – The Ceruleans fly and fall on the ground as Aurochs and Oryx corner them against a wall. "Oryx!" Aurochs yells throwing her spear to the girl, who catches it and uses it with her own spear to keep the beasts encircled. Aurochs runs excited in the opposite direction and skids on the ground, panting, she looks to Auron, "Whenever you want!" The muscled girl yells, stroking her fists together.

"Here it goes! I'm casting Wild Charge and Double Blast at once!" The boy yells back to her while tapping on his phone.

"Alright, let's do it!" Her voice each time more excited as her body glows on the aura of Wild Charge. Aurochs starts running towards the creatures and jumps in the last step, flying in the sky, the fists of the animal-girl glow with a yellow flaming light, she grins at the Ceruleans as she falls over the gorilla, blowing its head with her right fist which explodes on a yellow flame and creates a cloud of smoke. "TAKE THAT!" She screams, landing in front of the disintegrating creature. Almost like dancing, she turns to the other beast, holding on the energy of her left fist. "EAT THIS!" She screams again, launching an uppercut right in the face of the Cerulean, crushing its head on a burst of light.

The shockwaves from the explosions shake dust all over the place, silence reigns on the scene until the two girls appear back in the group, smiling wide from their victory. They wave their spears clean and kneel in front of Lion, closing their eyes.

"The Ceruleans were crushed, Lady Lion!" Aurochs says to her in a firm, loud voice, almost like a soldier.

Lion blushes and scratches her cheek. "Y-you know, this was fine inside of the game, but here you don't really need to put that act" She tells them with an awkward laugh, making them stand, "And is super embarrassing if you do it in front of others…" Lion says looking at the others, who stare at the scene confused.

" _Is that so… sorry to unfortunate you, Lady Lion,_ " Oryx whispers, standing while looking down.

"We didn't mean to cause you so much trouble, Lady Lion," Aurochs adds in the same tone.

"Ah, geez, it wasn't my intention to get you upset… I know you have good intentions so…" Lion moves her eyes to Auron, asking for help.

He approaches to Aurochs and wipes the dust over her head; making the girl's cheek gently fluster. "What Lion tries to say is you don't need to be so respectful with her that way," he holds on her face and smiles, "But she's still your Lady Lion so don't worry! You're impressive yourself, Oryx, your muscles are not only for show."

"S-stop it you're going to make me blush!" The bull-girl stutters.

"And you!" Auron says, turning to Oryx with a funny pose, making her snort. "You are really good when it comes to use weapons; you also did a good job there dominating those Ceruleans for Aurochs." He pets her and the girl silently rubs her head against her hand in response.

 **Note Nº: 00004**

 _Friends, as far as now we still don't know much about how they became real, but they laugh like us, they feel like us and they bleed like us. However, their physical abilities surpass human limits; their bodies too, aren't built the same way as we do, for them to be half animals, is normal. My group is formed by three Friends: Lion as the leader, Aurochs and Oryx. The three of them are top the strongest of Friends we have knowledge about, but if you ask me, I think my sister's Friends are the strongest._

 _Aurochs and Oryx are good partners; both venerate Lion and follow her as in indisputable leader. Besides that, they have shown to have their own individual personalities and a will to make their own decisions, always fighting over the food and training routines._

 _Aurochs is loud and cheerful, she likes to compete and is constantly looking for reasons to test her strength, so is hard to keep her at margin, one day she hugged me and I passed out. She must be feeling really pleased getting cut loose on this mission._

 _Oryx can be as much as loud, but I have noticed, she may suffer of a certain grade of depression. Whenever Aurochs wins her over something she stays depressed for a long time, without talking to anyone until she feels better, there was a couple of times where she skipped meals even. I have decided to put special care and attention to her of all three; she has a bad sense of humor so, is really easy to make her laugh. In addition, both of them have a hard time studying and learning; they're natural klutz, in that matter._

 **END OF NOTE**

"All impressive and surprising, but…" Crystal says, walking to Auron's group, clapping her hands, "But you didn't use ZAP, did you? I thought that was our mission" The girl gestures with an angry face. "Must be nice being able to do whatever you want just because Aurora and Fuyumi let you to do so."

"You sure don't mind the tone of your words do you?" Lion groans at her.

"Ah, how scary! Do Lion takes care not only of Ceruleans but also your discussions?" Crystal asks with a sarcastic tone.

"You little—" Lion flusters rubbing on her fist when Auron stops her.

"You're right." The boy nods, looking directly at her. "It was my mistake and it won't happen again, as the brother of the leader I will behave in the way is expected for me to do," The boy tells her with a kind smile.

Crystal frowns, grinding her teeth; the girl turns around and walks back to the Fox girls, pouting loudly. The boy pats Lion on the shoulder. "You must never give that kind of people what they want."

" _Thanks…_ " Lion whispers ashamed, then coughs and continues, holding back the boy's hand "At least the shakedown seems to have wake you up, we are counting with you today so stay focused!" The cat-girl says to him with a smile.

Auron spaces out and takes her hand off without looking at the girl, Lion stares at him with a troubled and embarrassed expression.

After the dust from the fight has completely cleared and everyone has calmed down, the kids and the Friends get inside of the building by the front door. At first glance, it looks like any other abandoned edification, empty stalls, broken windows, dirt all over the floor.

They pass from the entrance and walk inside a corridor; the windows in the left give view to the forest outside, the ones on the right side show an open space in the center of the building, almost as some little park, and a pile of rust on the very center of the yard. Getting close of the windows they have a better view, the pile of rust is made of burned office machines. Computers, fax phones, even some chairs and desks, all burned and melted in one place, ashes still spreading out on the floor because of the wind.

Deeper on the corridor, they find the marks where the burned machines were, the stains of time revealed their past positions. Empty office where the computers should be are now empty space, some burned papers fluttering on the floor by small wind currents.

" _They_ d _-destroyed all evidence of what they w-were doing here._ " Fuyumi whispers irritated.

"Whatever it was must have been important for them to take such an effort." Auron says to her with arms on his head.

"W-what do you mean?" She turns to the boy.

"The only reason they left this place was because of the Ceruleans right?" The boy says, gesturing with a hand, "It means that in the middle of the chaos, they still took their time to pick all archives, papers and computers and burned everything before leaving."

"But still, b-burning everything…" Fuyumi strokes her chin, "Maybe the information t-they were handling was already s-secured so they didn't bother saving it?" She asks to the kid.

"Most likely," Auron nods, "But they really made sure to destroy everything before the JSDF or us got to come here."

"Why a c-company that makes a p-phone game would take such an effort?" Fuyumi groans looking at the ceiling.

"It's obviously related to the fact these girls," He says, pointing at the Friends with a thumb, "And the Ceruleans being real, but now we will never find out."

A little giggle interrupts the conversation; Auron and Fuyumi turn back and watch Crystal trembling, trying her best to contain her laughs until she drops on laughing in front of everyone.

"W-what's wrong with you!? We are being s-serious here!" Fuyumi yells at her, the girls keeps on laughing, inhaling deeply, trying to get back her composure.

"Is exactly because you are being serious that I'm laughing here!" Crystal snorts, wiping her eyes behind her glasses, "It seems I owe you an apology, honestly…" Her tone changes along with her posture, the girl slowly bows to the kids as they watch her confused.

"Care to explain?" Auron asks.

"Eh? Isn't it obvious?" Crystal asks while laughing, "All this time I've been thinking that you blindly trusted Mirai, and that you were following orders from above without hesitation," the girl chuckles, taking off the sunglasses, "But it turns out you aren't just some 'slave cops', you are actually thinking this through." She smiles to the kids while shrugging.

"W-was that a c-compliment or she still i-insulting us?" Fuyumi nervously asks to Auron, the boy only shrugs.

A current of wind comes from the depths of the corridor on the ground floor, the Friends react in unison smelling the air and the kids, noticing this peculiar reaction, try to gaze in the darkness, but they can't see anything the animal girls perceive.

" _The essence of a Friend, is dim, but for a moment I could smell it._ " Lions whispers to Auron, slowly moving to a combat pose.

"The wind just b-blow from there," Fuyumi points to the cat-girl, "That means the smell was left behind, if a Friend was still here, Ceruleans would be chasing her." Jaguar takes the Fuyumi and pushes her towards the direction of the smell without hesitation, "Let's continue, we may find some clues if we know where the essence comes from."

 **Note Nº: 00005**

 _Black Jaguar seems to have a natural strength of the size of Aurochs, she's quiet most of the time, and it seems to have a strong communication with Fuyumi as they move or act together without the need of sharing a word. It also seems Black Jaguar is aware of how Fuyumi looks up at my sister and she supports Fuyumi's efforts from behind. Aside from her behavior on here, she still shows some traits from the game, most of the time, she's unaware of what is happening around her and trusts Fuyumi to guide her and explain things to her. She is also quite humble and honest; when she gets to fight she always stands out._

 **END ON NOTE**

The more they walk, the darker it gets, currents of cold wind striking now and then, turning left, they continue until a huge hole of light appears from the shadows. The hole appears to be made on all floors, separating them in half, on the ground floor the hole continues for what it seems to be a basement in the building, the wind coming from under the place. Jaguar points out one of the borders of the hole, there's a burned paper stuck on a piece of metal, Silver Fox carefully goes for it and slowly removes it from the metal. They group on a circle analyzing it.

"This where the smell came from," Silver Fox says, sniffing it.

"Certainly," Lion tells, grabbing the paper from Silver Fox hands and holding it against the light "Is too burned up to tell what was written on here though."

"B-but if the paper is burnt and there's a Friend e-essence in it, it means a F-friend was here on the day the Ceruleans t-took the building." Fuyumi gestures with her hands, taking a deep breath, "She p-probably helped the people on here to d-delete the evidence."

"Perhaps it was Caracal?" Crystal asks while taking the paper from Lion's hands.

"I don't think Caracal is the type of Friend who can keep a secret" Auron tells to her, snorting.

"Maybe Caracal is not the only one working with them," Silver Fox says gesturing with her hand. Crystal quickly turns to her with an angry face, the fox-girl makes a startled noise and stops talking, the kids stare confused, but decide to don't pay much attention to it.

Before the kids and the animal-girls can keep with more theories, a sound coming from the hole in the basement immediately shuts them up – GROAAARGH – the ground slightly shakes; the howl of the beast is quickly followed by hundreds of other small howls inside the building that makes everyone feel cold blood on their bodies. The Friends react instantly by making a circle and putting the kids in the center. The howls gradually decrease until they completely stop, no Cerulean shows up, they all sigh in relief.

" _Communication,_ " Auron whispers, " _Just now… they were communicating with each other._ " He looks at the other kids, worried.

"The five floors reacted at the noise of the bigger one," Crystal adds, putting her sunglasses back on and stretching, "Is just as they said, this place is infested, but is nothing we can't take care of, right?" She grins to Auron and Fuyumi.

"R-right!" Fuyumi answers automatically with a serious face, "I-if Aurora thinks we can do it… is b-because we can!" She blushes at the end of the sentence.

Crystals cracks her neck and pulls a pair of black-leather gloves from her jacket, she puts them on while grinning; Silver Fox looks at her extremely worried.

"Does she suddenly feel motivated?" Auron thinks, looking at the girl stretching.

"Let's race to see who beats more Ceruleans!" The girl finally says, with a defiant tone she slowly postures as an Olympic racer about to set off. "However…" Crystals set off, running towards the hole on the floor "… I'm taking the big one!" She jumps, straight into the hole, everyone stares with jaws dropped; Silver Fox looks like she's about to have a heart-attack. "Yahoo!" The voice of Crystal can be heard decreasing as she falls.

"AT LEAST SAY SOMETHING FIRST!" Silver Fox desperately runs to the hole, "What am I going to do if you get hurt!?" The animal girl turns back, stationary trotting, she bows apologizing to the group and jumps as she's going inside of a pool.

Everyone is silent, whether to laugh or be worried they can't choose, the group slowly turns to Red Fox, who has been playing with her console in silence all this time. The girl frowns and groans until she can't keep pretending. She switches the console off and saves it inside her clothes; Red Fox skip-walks to the hole. "Ah, what a pain, I was getting into a nice part too" she mumbles and stops at the edge of the hole, turning back to the kids, she lets her body slowly fall inside as she waves goodbye to the group, disappearing.

"F-fuyumi!" Auron stutters, pointing at the hole, "Are we just going to let her go alone there!?"

The boy is astonish once again as he watches Black Jaguar take Fuyumi away in the wheelchair, just to turn back running at full throttle. Before the boy can say a thing or even scream, Jaguar jumps at the edge of the hole, crossing to the other side of the floor and making the wheelchair drift when touching the ground as Fuyumi holds tight on it while grinning.

"I'm t-taking this level and floor above!" Fuyumi yells to Auron, waving with her hand from the other side, "I-I won't let her beat me in f-front of Aurora! I'm leaving the other f-floors to you!" The girl smiles as Jaguar makes a spin in the wheelchair as she's playing with a skateboard, disappearing in the darkness of the corridor.

 **Note Nº: 00006**

 _Ceruleans or Alfa Ceruleans, creatures that come from the phone game just like our Friends. They have no clear purpose to me other than being the enemy; however, they have clear differences from the ones in the game. Alfa Ceruleans here copy the shape of animals rather than the bizarre forms they took inside of the game. They aren't as colorful as their counterparts either, they also don't have core rocks, but they disappear in the same way when you crushed their cores in the game when you crush their heads here._

 _It also seems they're more intelligent than the others, they're capable of build structures, coordinate attacks and communicate through signals such as screeching. Today we are fighting Alfa Ceruleans who seem to be hiding to attack us by surprise, they must be confident of their knowledge about the building, which just reaffirms that we know nothing about these Ceruleans._

 **END OF NOTE**

Lion breaks on laughter while Aurochs and Oryx look at Auron massage his head and slowly groans to the point of screaming, "The point of going here together was to take them on as a group!" He yells, making Lion laugh even harder.

"What should we do now?" Oryx asks, holding on Auron sleeve.

"Well, they said it was a race," Lion answer for him, holding in her stomach, still laughing, "Let's just take them on, right?" She says, smiling to Auron.

The boy takes a deep breath and smiles back to her. "Right!" he answers cheerfully, turning to Oryx and slowly petting her head until he makes her giggle. "Let's find a way to the third floor and then we'll decide what to do."

And so, every group separates from each other, Auron's group goes back in the corridor, and after inspecting some empty rooms and storages they find a door inside of an office that lead them to emergency stairs. Still with no signs of Ceruleans, they climb up to the third floor as told. Oryx comes out from the emergency door first, carefully observing the office before letting Auron and the rest to walk inside. The office and the outside of the floor shares the same similarities of the first floor, empty and full of dirt, some burned papers here and there, signs where computers and other machines were and probably now rest on the pile of burned rust.

"They're still hiding uh?" Lion mumbles, sniffing in the air. "What can we do to make them come out? Stepping inside the places where they can send a surprise attack doesn't seem like a smart idea," the cat-girl asks turning to Auron.

"Well…" The boy takes his phone and starts tapping on it, suddenly, Aurochs and Oryx jump startled, as they start shining on Wild Charge's aura. "Crystal went and made us compete for her own, but what if we also have a little race?" He says, smiling to the girls.

"Alright!" Aurochs jumps excited, "Let's do it Oryx! I bet I can take down more Ceruleans than you before Wild Charge runs out!" She points at the girl with a grin.

"Hey, wait a minute" Lion tells them worried but she's ignored.

"Bring it on! I won't let you win this time; I'm going to match the score!" Oryx brings out her spear and runs away in a hall.

"Wait! I'm telling you to wait!" Lion screams as Aurochs runs in the opposite direction and disappears. "Hey… you!" The girl turns to Auron and pulls his cheek all the way in frustration, "What's the big idea? Now we can't do the howl combo!"

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Auron screams until Lion releases him, "There's a good explanation for this…" The boy mumbles, while stroking his cheek.

"I hope is a good reason, you just let my little trouble makers run wild as they please," She pouts, looking away.

"But look, now we are alone" Auron tells her, gesturing with a hand. "When was the last time we were completely alone?"

"Eh? Well…" Lion looks down, ashamed. "Certainly, the four of us are always hanging out together… even in the house we don't have enough time for the two of us…" Each word makes her face turns red a bit more.

"That's why I thought we could use this little time… I have… something to tell you," the boy mumbles embarrassed, the girl quickly turns to him impressed at his words.

 **Note Nº: 00007**

 _If Aurochs is strong and Oryx is agile, then Lion would be powerful. I guess you can say that I have an especial favoritism for Lion, after all I…_

…

 **END OF NOTE**

"Ah, that was a good landing!" Crystals yells out loud, with Silver Fox under her butt, panting and mumbling.

The basement is a complete structure made of steel, infested with mold every corner. As far as the light from the upper floor can reach in the hole; revealing some tenebrous aspects of the place. Bed frames without mattress, a rusty and dismantled assembly line next to what looked like a construction workshop. Tiny stairs leading to an upper level, with a bunch of broken screens and a platform where thick cables hang up from the ceiling like a serving station; finally in one corner, a huge cabin with broken windows is protruding from one of the walls, gazing upon the basement.

"Never ever… do that again… I'm begging you" Silver Fox coughs, her face is a mess, she seems to be about to pass out.

"What are you saying? You made a nice catch!" Crystal palms her head softly, standing up, "Good job, good job" She sings to the animal-girl who fights to regain her composure.

"Crystal, why did you jump all of a sudden? I had to pause my game," Red Fox asks her, slowly sliding between pieces of destroyed floor.

"Sorry!" She smiles to the fox-girl, "But if we had stayed a bit longer with them, we probably had gone together to every floor hunting Ceruleans," Crystals shrugs and snorts, checking on her jacket until she pulls out a video camera and gives it to Red Fox. "And we couldn't be able to do this with them around."

"E-eh? Are we really doing this? Aurora said you shouldn't record our missions… this is supposed to be a secret." Silver Fox tells her with a voice full of pain, stroking her back as she walks to the girls.

Crystals gives her a short, sarcastic laugh, gesturing Red Fox with a finger for her to start the camera. "Who gives a fuck what Aurora says, I won't lose the opportunity of a scoop like this." The girl brings her comb again and quickly brushes her and Silver Fox's hair, fixing on her glasses as the animal-girl wipes the dust from her skirt. "Ready?" Crystal asks to the girl.

"Not like I have any other option, do I?" Silver Fox sighs and shrugs.

"That's the spirit! Do it just like we practiced" The girl laughs and puts on a glowing, pink lipstick on her lips. "You give us the signal Red Fox!" She waves to the Friend holding the camera.

"Ok, we'll begin at my count right?" Red Fox carefully takes a few steps back and turns on the camera, pointing at the girls. "Ready… 3… 2… 1… Cue"

"GOOD MORNING MY PRETTY FOLLOWERS, IT'S ME, CHAAAARMING CRYSTAL!" The girl screams like she has never done before, completely throwing away her personality and entering on a totally different character, every movement of her body is full of suggestive expressions combined with fake smiles and sudden winks. "And today as always, supporting me from the rear…" She stops and giggles, making Silver Fox angry, "We have your favorite Friend girl! I now y'all have been waiting for her lol! The unique and beautiful, Silver Fox!"

"HELLO EVERYBODY, WELCOME TO THE CHARMING CHANNEL!" Silver Fox screams imitating Crystal to every last pose, "Today's episode is going to be great, hope you follow us until the end of the video," the girl slowly shrugs and puts puppy eyes in front of the camera;"Pre-tty-please?"

"Ok, cut it there Red Fox" Crystal gestures to her, taking a deep breath, "Nice finishing touch Silver Fox; that was a good opening."

"I feel disgusting," Silver Fox says, sticking out her tongue with a grossed out face, "Why do we have to please the ugly men in your audience like this?"

"Because that ugly men pay our bills, you dummy," Crystal tells to her while checking on the camera, "Uh, yes, this is nice, the way you lift your skirt with your tail and almost let them see your underwear, you have surpassed me, Silver Fox."

"I'M JUST DOING AS YOU TOLD ME." Silver Fox screams fully embarrassed while Red Fox gives her a thumbs up.

As the girls discuss over the video, the ground slowly shakes with the roar of a beast, Crystal smiles wide, signaling Red Fox to keep recording. "Is coming… this video is going to be great!"

 **Note Nº: 00008**

 _I don't know much about Red Fox and Silver Fox, the first is always sleeping or playing, lost in her own world, giving nothing of conversation material. Silver Fox is a total opposite, she's really nice and talkative, but Crystal is always dragging her along so she doesn't talk enough with us. They aren't much different from how they act in the game; I just haven't seen them fight yet._

 **END OF NOTE**

"Are you sure it was a good idea to run by our own?" Black Jaguar asks to Fuyumi, as she pedals on the chair traveling the corridors, "I'm sure there's going to be more chances to get Aurora to notice you."

"S-sorry Jaguar… I l-let Crystal get over my n-nerves," the girl looks down as she's pushed along, "I a-always do this… making y-you go along with w-whatever I want."

"Don't sweat it!" Jaguar says, giggling and taking a sudden turn to the left, making both girls gasp impressed, "That was a nice turn!" The cat-girl says still surprised.

"Y-yeah it fell nice!" Fuyumi adds a bit flustered.

"Uhm… what were we talking again?" Jaguar asks, looking down at Fuyumi, stroking her cheek.

"S-seriously?" Fuyumi looks up to her, worried.

Sniffing on the air, Jaguar makes a sudden stop and gets off the chair. "A Cerulean is coming," she stands in front of Fuyumi as the girl draws her phone. Slowly, from one of the doors in the corridor a group of three wolf-shaped Ceruleans come out, growling and menacing.

"Just t-three uh… y-you're underestimating my Jaguar!" Fuyumi points at them with a forced smile; then quickly presses on her phone.

A spark of yellow light emanates from Jaguar's right hand; the cat-girl waves the light around until it slowly forms a spear of light. The weapon sparkles almost as if a electric current is flowing inside of it.

"So t-that is ZAP," Fuyumi looks at it, gasping impressed, "It really looks exactly like what Caracal uses all the time."

"It feels heavy and weird… how do I use this?" Jaguar asks, worried, she takes a step back as the wolf come closer.

"I r-remember Caracal just t-throw it against the Ceruleans…" The girl also worries moving her chair back a little.

One of the Ceruleans quickly walks in front of the rest and jumps at Jaguar, both girls scream scared, Jaguar takes the spear with both hands by reflex and swings it against the Cerulean – SWOON – the body of the wolf is instantly cut in half. The creature drops dead in the floor and disintegrates in the air. Both Fuyumi and Jaguar gasps impressed and smile to each other.

"T-that's the way, just use it like a b-baseball bat!" Fuyumi points at the beasts while grinning

"I don't understand at all but…!" Jaguar says, quickly running to the closest wolf and ripping its head off on a swing, "I'm going to strike a home run!"

 **Note Nº: 00009**

 _ZAP stands for Zapper Action Projectile, is confusing and sounds dumb, so we just call it ZAP. Is the weapon Caracal used on the train station and in the abandoned construction to take down the Alfa Ceruleans. Before going here, Mirai installed that skill in our phones for our Friends to use it against these creatures, it seems to be effective with giant types of Ceruleans, but we haven't found an Alfa Cerulean yet we can't take down with normal combat skills._

 **END OF NOTE**

"You said you wanted to tell me something… but it has been 10 minutes since that and you haven't opened your mouth." Lion tells to Auron, pissed off, they have been walking around for a while without sharing a word and is getting on Lion's nerves.

"Is just… what I have to say is… complicated." Auron tells her, scratching his head.

A tenebrous growling stalk from the corner of the hall they pass by, Auron quickly takes his phone, but Lion grabs him by the neck and hides with him behind a wall. "Oh no, you won't make me fight at this moment."

"B-but the Ceruleans," Auron coughs holding in her hand as she chokes him.

"You say it yourself, we haven't had time to be alone, I won't let you use this phone until you speak it up." Lion groans to him, releasing the boy and taking his phone.

Auron looks away frustrated, the shadows of the Ceruleans passing by near of them creates an awkward silence until they disappear in the other side of the hall. Lion turns to him again with a serious face, the boy gestures to her and apologizes, then takes a deep breath and begins to talk.

"The thing is… do you really want to be dating me?" Auron shouts with a frustrated expression.

"Ah!?" Lion yells, confused and angry.

"Lion… you see, this is a huge world, is so much different from where you were," He holds in her left hand slowly, "There's so much you haven't seen and learn yet, and the month you have spent in this world you have, only do as Aurora and I say," the boy gives her a sad smile, "I think you should forget about 'us', take Aurochs and Oryx and run away to live by your own."

Lion looks at him silently for a couple of minutes, takes both of his hands and smiles, giving him a head-butt.

"So all the time you spent thinking and spacing out was just for that trash!?" She screams at him, holding tight in his hands.

"What do you mean with 'trash', I'm being serious here…" Auron stutters, unable to rub the hit on his head.

"And in all that thinking you didn't wonder how I felt?" she gives him another head-butt. "Do you really think I or Aurochs or Oryx haven't realized all of that yet!?" Her face closer to him, with a mix of sad and angry, "I know, I know all of that, I know how everything is different now, I don't need you to space out for days to notice that!"

"Lion… " He tries to speak, but Lion's face immediately shuts him up.

"I don't need you to tell me all of that," the aggression of her tone gradually lows, "Do you remember how easy I came to help you when the incident in the school happened?" Lion snaps her fingers, "That fast, I started existing on a blink, so what does say I can't disappear from this world at the same speed?"

The eyes of the boys open wide and he slowly flusters, he didn't consider that possibility.

"Who says that tomorrow or the next day I won't disappear?" Lion continues, with a sad expression, playing with the boy's fingers. "We already thought all of that, going out by our own in this world… scare us… scares us a lot" She looks up to him with sobbing eyes, "But being with you, has made us feel secure, every day you wake up and go to school, it feels so weird when you aren't around… I want to be with you, if I had to know about the world and travel around the world I want it to be with you."

Tears silently falling from her face; Auron tries to talk, but she gives him another head-butt.

"I want you to be more honest with us, especially with me!" She screams, "Did you stop to think how I felt when I tried holding hands with you and you released me!?" She trembles, wiping her tears, "If only… you were more honest."

Auron stares bowled over, he scratches his head, frustrated, looking at the cat-girl who sobs on the ground. Taking a deep breath and with a decisive look in his eye, he hugs Lion tight by the neck, burying his face in her hair, the girl shocked and surprised, mumbles confused words which are quickly drowned on her own laugh.

"What—are you doing all of a sudden? That tickles, geez!" She laughs loudly and flusters, giving him soft palms on his back.

"You told me to be more honest… That's something I've been dying to do for a long time…" He sniffs on her hair and buries his face again, "I love your hair, is so soft and puffy."

"I-is that so…?" Lion blushes even more, feeling his breath on his neck, "It… it kind of feels nice."

" _I love you, Lion._ " Auron, whispers into her ear, "I don't want you to go away, I also want to be with you, I just had doubts and thought letting you go was the right decision." He slowly brushes her hair with the tip of his fingers.

"Uhm _… I love you too,_ " She whispers back, wrapping him in her arms, "I just want you to stop thinking so much about it ok? If you ever have doubts again, share them with me."

"Lady Lion…? What are you doing to Auron, is he ok?" Oryx asks, she and Aurochs have been observing the two of them from a broken window. Lion immediately pushes the boy away, making him crash his back against a wall.

"N-nothing!" She stutters, red as hell, "A-anyway, what are you girls doing here, did Wild Charge wear off already?"

"U-uhm," Aurochs nods; looking at Auron standing up and rubbing his back, "So we thought of looking for him to cast it again… what you were doing here?" She wonders confused.

"No-thing, I'm telling you!" Lion forces her tone, trying to get rid of the question, she stands up and takes Auron by his hand, he smiles to her and holds her tight, they walk to the girls together.

"So? How was it?" Auron asks to the girls, checking on his phone.

"I took 10 of them!" Aurochs says while grinning, "Hurry up so I can take down more!"

"Auron! I only take 8 of them, I'm so close!" Oryx pouts and holds Aurochs by the neck to shut her up, "So hurry up and give me Wild Charge to me first, I can't let her win here!"

"Thaf chefting!" Aurochs mumbles as she chokes.

"Where are the Ceruleans left on this floor?" Auron asks to the girls, they signal to their right almost immediately and keep on fighting. "What do say? Want to give it a try?" He turns to Lion and smiles.

"Of course, take me in!" She gives him thumbs up.

"Eh!? That won't do, Lady Lion!" The girls pout in unison at the cat-girl.

"We are fighting so you don't have to!" Aurochs yells.

"You don't need to dirty your hands with such unworthy foes!" Oryx adds, trying to get in front of Aurochs.

"For how I see it you two have got enough of your portion of fun," Auron interrupts him as he and Lion walk in the direction the girls pointed out. "Now is time for Lion to have some fun too."

"There you have it!" Lion tells them with a funny tone, purring on Auron's arm as they walk, the girls stare at them confused and a bit embarrassed.

" _So something did really happen, right?_ " Aurochs whispers to Oryx.

" _Looks like it_ " Oryx whispers back.

The couple turns in the corridor and Lion slowly releases Auron's hand to take the lead, stretching and smiling, the girl prepares herself as the boy presses in the phone and her body shines on Wild Charge. The girl extends her arms all the way, taking a long, deep breath before releasing the biggest howl – ROOOARR – the floor trembles and the broken windows vibrates at her voice. Coming from the doors, the holes and the windows, a pack of wolf-shaped Ceruleans slowly walk to the cat-girl while growling.

"Let's start with Red Claws!" Lion screams, standing on all fours, the girl jumps at them before the boy can answer, he just presses on his phone as fast as possible. In a burst of red light, Lion nails grow sharp and long, about to 10cm, vivid red. The girl lands her claws on one of the wolves and slashes it off, landing on the floor, she looks to the other two near of her, she runs and climbs on the wall, chopping them in pieces on two swings.

"Lady Lion is the best!" The girls cheer from behind as the cat-girl waves at them, the pack of wolves grow in number behind her when she's not looking. Auron points her and she turns back, jumping startled.

"Geez, are you all so excited to get your ass kicked?" Lion says while laughing and clenching her fist, "Auron! Yellow Claws!" She screams, crossing arms on an "x" formation. Auron taps on his phone and Lion claws, change of color once again, this time glowing in yellow light and growing even longer, with a delicate but electrifying appearance, Lion swings her arms and the claws detach instantly, being shot against the wolves, the claws divide themselves on tiny segments of glowing pieces of light, slashing and chopping the wolves like a rain of blades, making them disappear.

In the bottom of the hall, one of the wolves still remains; the creature slowly takes steps backs and makes a sudden turn trying to run away. "Auron!" Lion screams changing positions again, this time she poses as she's about to throw a baseball.

"Blue Claw! You don't need to tell me twice!" The boy laughs as he presses on the phone. The yellow color of the claws fades away and the claw on the index finger of her left hand starts smoking on a blue flame.

Lion focuses on the runaway Cerulean and, pretending to launch a baseball, her claw explodes on a blue light and a tiny projectile flies off her hand. In the moment the wolf turns and tries to run in the other hall, the blue missile touches the wall in the corner, instantly making the whole hall explode in blue flames, burning the Cerulean to crisp.

 **Note Nº: 00010**

 _If Aurochs is strong and Oryx is agile, then Lion would be powerful. I guess you can say that I have an especial favoritism for Lion, after all I…_

… _I love her._

 **END OF NOTE**

"That's the spirit! Just hit it as hard as you can!" Crystal cheers and claps as Silver Fox bounce from wall to wall, glowing on Wild Charge aura, striking with her claws a giant and weird, bird-shaped Cerulean.

"What's wrong with this thing!? It's too though!" Silver Fox complains exhausted, the girl jumps and lands near the girls who are recording her. "Red Fox, give me a hand! I can't do this by my own!" She extends her hand, sweating and panting, waiting for her friend's aid. Red Fox nods to her, but in the moment she takes a step in, Crystal blocks her with her arm.

"No, no, that won't do!" Crystal moves her finger in negation, "If she can't do it by herself just boost her abilities!" The girl points at her phone, that Red Fox holds.

"Tch" Silver Fox mumble as she jumps again to avoid getting hit by the bird; the monster has been walking on all fours all this time with its wings. Red Fox looks at her partner troubled, unable to help her.

"Listen Red Fox, this is teamwork of three, I'm the host and you manage the video and skills and Silver Fox battles!" Crystal tells her while waving her finger in her face. "But I have to admit this thing is certainly tough, she has been hitting it for a while and it doesn't seem to absorb damage" Crystal thinks, doubting on her decision.

"I… Uhm… But Silver Fox…!" Red Fox stutters, watching her partner suffer.

"If you are so worried for her then cast ZAP! I wanted this to last a bit more, but let's finish it already!" Crystal tell to the fox-girl and she nods and smiles, pointing at Crystal with the camera. "Alright everybody, I know you must be bored by now, so let's give this a spectacular ending!" The girl cheerfully yells to the camera as she signals Red Fox with her fingers.

The girl presses on the phone and Silver Fox's right hand begins to shine on electricity. "Finally!" She yells as the current slowly takes form in her hand, she waves it between her fingers as it grows, then takes it with two hands when it forms the spear. Silver Fox runs and slides under the left wing of the creature, making a somersault, she positions behind the Cerulean and throws the spear with all her strength.

"HERE IT COMES! SILVER FOX SPECIAL ATTACK!" Crystal screams, extending both arms as the girl throws the energy beam on the back of the bird. The three are already smiling, feeling victorious, but the spear breaks in half when hits the back of the monster, only pushing it down on the ground. "Wtf, that's not fair!" Crystal pouts as she and Red Fox run to pick up Silver Fox, who trembles exhausted, holding on her knees.

"I'm sorry Crystal… I'm on my limit…" The fox-girl pants and shakes.

Red Fox looks at Crystal, angry and pouting, but before she can complain to her, Crystal takes Silver Fox arm by the arm and helps the girl to walk away. " _I'm sorry; I put you in danger out there for nothing…_ " Crystal whispers to the girl as she carries her, "Red Fox, hurry up! We have to re-group, we can't do this alone!"

The creature stands up confused, shaking its head, the girls stop in their tracks trying to don't call their attention. The Cerulean growls silently before releasing a huge howl, shaking the whole building and making pieces of the ceiling fall. The howl is followed again by hundreds of other howls and screeches, with the sound of a stomping, Alfa Ceruleans of all sizes and forms run from all floors like a flood and fall over the bird Cerulean, the dough of beasts melt and combine together with the bird, increasing its size and volume at a worrisome speed.

From the upper floors all the kids feel is a constant shaking resembling an earthquake, from the yard of burned machines, a giant peak burst from the floor, slowly forcing its way out of the ground, a blue, prehistoric bird with multiple vicious eyes on its head waves its wings and howls, breaking all windows on the place and creating waves of dust, that make everyone hide behind the walls. The beast keeps fluttering its wings until starts floating over the ground, slowly storming with the wind it produced, the Ceruleans sets off in the sky trying to run away.

"The hell… was that…" Red Fox whines as Crystal tries to pull her out of the hole.

" _A pterodactyl… I think_ " Crystals whispers worried, looking at the best fly on the sky, "Crap, is getting away, we need to move!"

In a question of minutes, the kids and the Friends group together in the entrance.

"D-did that pterodactyl came out f-from the basement!?" Fuyumi asks, to Crystal, pointing out at the sky.

The girl nods ashamed, "Y-yes… but it was smaller when we fought against it… I'm sorry, things got out of my hands!" Crystal bows, in front of the group, everyone stares surprised.

"I don't think anyone here will blame you for this," Auron says with a gentle tone, "However, is really taking its time to run away, is flying in circles…" The boy says looking up at the sky.

"I-is because it t-too heavy" Fuyumi tells him, gesturing with a finger, "It m-must be trying to gain a-altitude before l-leaving."

"How do we take it down?" Silver Fox asks while Red Fox puts a band-aid on her forehead. "I ZAP it and it just broke in half."

"In half you say!?" Fuyumi asks, surprised, without stuttering.

"That means we just need more power!" Auron says, extending his hand and looking to Lion, "I'm counting with you on this, my lion king!" He tells her smiling and blushing.

Lion reacts in surprise, blushing and answering the kid's gesture by giving him a hi-five with a grin. "And I'm counting with you, my lion King!"

The girl sets off running inside of the building as the boy draws his phone, the kids and the Friends look at the scene once again confused.

"D-did the atmosphere b-between them changed?" Fuyumi asks to Aurochs and Oryx, who just frown and nod to the girl.

As Auron taps on his phone, the cat-girl glows on Wild Charge aura, running and increasing her speed on the corridors, using the holes to jump from one floor to the other. Her right hand sparkles in yellow light, while her left hand finger shines with a red light. "So that's the plan uh?" Lion mumbles as she jumps to the fifth floor and draws the electric spear. "May as well try it!" The girl runs even faster, using the hole from the fifth floor to jump outside in the roof, she scratches the surface of the spear with her red claws, making it change from yellow to red and increase its size.

"It worked!" She screams to the ground floor, the girl looks up at the sky as she runs, aiming to the Ceruleans, she jumps and spins, throwing the spear with all her strength. The ZAP is sent like a projectile, piercing the left wing of the creature and creating a hole in it. The beast screeches in pain and collapses in the air, but manages to avoid the floor and tries to fly away from the building.

"Is n-not enough Auron, i-is going to escape!" Fuyumi yells to the boy, shaking and sobbing, "If Aurora sees it… IF AURORA SEES IT!"

"Calm down woman of little faith, we are just getting started!" Auron smiles to her pressing on his phone.

In the roof, Lion takes a deep breath, as she scratches another spear with her yellow claws, making it buzz loudly on electricity. The girls toys with it as she aims to the beast once again, Lion shoots the spear and it divides in the middle of the air, falling over the Ceruleans and piercing holes in the beast's body. The creature screeches in agony as it begins to fall on the ground.

"THE CAMP OF THE JSDF IS THERE, AURON" Fuyumi screams and panics, crying loudly.

"I know, I know!" Auron says to her, hiding his own worries, "Just one more!"

The roof explodes in a burst of light, shining and buzzing, a huge, ten meters; blue spear comes out from the cloud of dust, emanating blue flames from the tip as Lion waves it on her hand and aims. "EAT THIS AND DIE, CERULEAN!" The cat-girl screams as she runs and throws the spear. The missile takes power by itself and propels in the air, the flame growing stronger, creating a monstrous sound. It reaches the beast on a minute and it goes through its body like a knife cutting butter, the pterodactyl explodes and disintegrates like a balloon, Fuyumi passes out on the chair from the surprise.

 **Note Nº: 00011**

 _The ZAP turned out to be quite useful. We fought an Alfa Cerulean with a hard skin composition, at first, the spear didn't make it, but it can be boosted with other Friends skills, making huge improvements on damage, this may be the ultimate Cerulean counter-measure._

 _The mission took us almost three hours in total, but we secured the area and eliminated all Alfa Ceruleans that infested the building. There were no casualties, Silver Fox got some scratches and Fuyumi passed out at the end of the mission._

 _When we were coming back, Crystal gave Aurora a SD memory and confessed to record our mission at our back despite my sister's previous warning about not doing it. Lucky for her Aurora isn't someone who gets mad easily, she quickly forgave her and gave the memory to Brown Bear so she could destroy it._

 _Everyone is emotionally and physically exhausted, most of them are sleeping on the car, Lion is resting over my lap… the three of them have won their snickers._

 **END OF NOTE**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:** _The Weekend._

"Do you have everything?" Kaban asks to Raccoon, who is about to leave the apartment.

"Yes, is the third time you ask, geez." The girl answers a bit nervous, fixing the string of a little purse over her shoulder.

"I can't help it," Kaban giggles as the other girl blushes and whines, "Is your first time going alone, is normal to be worried."

"You don't need to worry, I memorized the address!" Raccoon bumps her chest and huffs.

"Must be nice, having permission to go outside…" Serval pouts, holding on Kaban's waist with ears down.

Raccoon snorts and gestures to Serval with her finger, "That's because I'm super smart!"

"Then do you mean I'm dumb?!" Serval whines, walking to Raccoon.

"There, there, no fighting," Kaban stops the cat-girl by pressing her hand over her head, "Raccoon worked hard for this, no need to be jealous."

Serval doesn't answer; she stays still, immobilized by Kaban's hand with a funny face as she has been put in pause. "Do you really have everything? Money, the map; the thing you were going to show to Fennec?" Kaban asks one more time, holding on Serval.

"Geez how many times I'm going to keep answering that?!" Raccoon stomps on the floor and Kaban laughs.

Kaban releases the cat-girl and she falls on the floor, still frozen, then she opens the door of the apartment. "Fine then, you're ready to go, be careful of cars and don't talk to strangers, all right?"

"Understood, I'll be back safe and sound!" Raccoon smiles from ear to ear and gestures like a soldier before running away.

" _Huh, off she goes,"_ Kaban whispers as she closes the door – KNOCKKNOCKKNOCK – someone hits on her door before the girl can lock it, she lets out a little scream of surprise and opens the door again. It was Raccoon, holding on a big box and quickly giving it to Kaban, she takes it with both hands and almost falls from the weight.

"W-what is this?" The girl struggles, trying to hold the box properly.

"The mailman said it was for us so I bring it here for you!" Raccoon tells her, after posturing like a track racer, "Anyway bye!" the animal-girl says before setting off again.

Kaban bids to put the box inside the apartment and close the door, the words "Creative Monsters Corp" on the lid and a note on it with a familiar letter made her recognize from who it was immediately:

" _A present to keep in contact with you, in case of an emergency, everyone is getting one!_

 _Mirai"_

It was written on the lid with marker, roughly, as if the woman was on a hurry before sending it. Kaban leaves it over the table then gives a serious face to the cat-girl playing dead in the floor of the drawn room, "C'mon, let's go back to studying, you still need to learn the multiplication table."

"Don't wannaaaa," Serval groans and rolls over the floor, "Why do we have to learn math anyway," she mumbles, scratching the floor with a finger.

"Do you want to go outside right?" Kaban grabs Serval by the waist and lifts her up; the cat-girl loosens over the girl's arms, making impossible for Kaban to drag her, "Serval, don't be like that, you need to study!" She bids up, trying to take Serval along.

"Friends don't need math!" The cat-girl insists.

"But Raccoon didn't have any problem learning it," Kaban stops and tells to her, annoyed, "You can also do it if you try, are you going to let Raccoon make fun of you when she comes back?"

Serval reacts at the girl's question and stands up on a sudden fury, "No way! She's have been showing off all the week because she learns everything faster than me!"

"That's the spirit! If you learn the tables before lunch, I'll make you fried sardines!" Kaban says, adding fuel to the fire.

"Fried you say?! Then you just watch, I'll memorize then on a blink!" Serval clenches her fists and runs to the living room.

"So easy…" Kaban thinks and giggles, watching Serval groaning as she holds on the paper sheets with multiplication tables.

Kaban walks to the kitchen and brings a pair of scissors with her when walking back to the living room. Serval peaks curious as the girl opens the box on the table, Kaban gasps surprised and turns to the cat-girl, "You are going to _love_ this!" She tells her excited.

"No, no, you're doing everything wrong!" Crystal yells to Silver Fox, holding on some kind of script, her face covered on green face mask and her hair full of tubes. The fox-girls yawn exhausted; the three of them with the same get up, still wearing pajamas, practicing on a room studio with a camera on a tripod and photography lights, giving an atmosphere of a photoset.

"Give us a break… we haven't even got breakfast yet," Red Fox mumbles while resting her face over the camera.

"No slack while rehearsing!" Crystal turns and yells to Red Fox, making her jump startled.

"The stream is on three hours, can't we go down to eat and practice later?" Silver Fox whines with eyes closed, barely standing still.

"Of course not, we need to do this properly if we want to cover up for the pterodactyl video we lost!" The girl says, furiously hitting the script, "Red Fox, fix the lights, they're too bright!"

The fox girl releases the camera and pouts, walking like a zombie, "We wouldn't need to do this if you hadn't given the recording to Aurora."

"W-well, that's because…" Crystal stutters, she gazes at Silver Fox, the memory of her getting slammed against a wall passing vividly through her eyes, "It didn't feel right… To use it."

Silver Fox looks back at her sleepy and confused, making Crystal slightly blush. "What's that suppose to mean, are you dumb?" Red Fox asks, changing the tone of the lights.

"A-ny-way!" Crystal groans, opening the script on Silver Fox's face, "You need to memorize your lines, we have a two hour game streaming today, we need to keep 'em hooked!"

"Ugh, at least is a game I like…" Silver Fox mumbles as she reads the script. "Hey Crystal, I know is covered with a blanket and all, but do we have to keep _that_ so close of us?" She says, pointing at a bump on the corner of the room, something covered with a blanket, that was making small mechanical sounds.

Crystal shrugs, without looking at the corner, "I don't like it either, but I'm not sure what will happen if we leave it on a place where we can't watch it, so there's that."

From the other side of the studio someone knocks the door and opens it; an elderly woman comes inside with a plate of rice balls, omelet rolls and tea. The Fox girls quickly open their eyes and drool smelling the food.

"Mom, I told you to don't come while we are on rehearsals!" Crystal tells to the woman, but she just smiles and leaves the plate over the table, serving the tea cups, "Are you listening?!" The girl insists.

"I know, I know," The woman whispers with a soft tone, "But since you didn't came to have breakfast I made you some food you can have while practicing," She stands up, holding on her back with a hand, "Now, Chisaki, young girls, come and have some, you must be hungry."

"Crystal mom rice balls' are the best! Yay!" Red Fox runs and sits in front of the table, quickly taking a rice ball and munching on it, waving her tail.

"T-thank you so much for always taking care of us," Silver Fox stutters to the woman, bowing with a smile.

"I've told you many times to leave that modesty of yours," The woman tells to her, waving her hand and petting Red Fox as she eats, "You two are part of our family now after all." She turns to Crystal and smiles, "Come Chisaki, you too need to have some food, you won't grow up if you don't eat enough."

"I know…" Crystal whispers and walks to the table, beaten by her mother kindness.

"Listen to your mom, you won't be able to eat if you don't grow up," Red Fox tells to Crystal before stuffing the rice ball and an omelet roll in her mouth at once.

"I'm pretty sure that's not what she said…" The girl sits and takes a sip of tea, "Eat fast so we can continue with the practice."

"I know…" The Fox girls whine in unison.

"Cola… Double chocolate cookies… Potato chips… Flavored cheese chips… This list is long… Lady Nanaha, are you really going to eat all of this?" Rhinoceros wonders reading a note on her hand, walking through a hall on a market, worried as her friend puts two bottles of cola on the cart.

"It should be enough for the two of us and our especial weekend!"Nanaha cheerfully answers her, palming the girl's back.

Rhino gasps and smiles happily, "Can I join too?!"

"Of course," The girl chuckles and pokes Rhino's nose, "Why you wouldn't?"

"B-because I'm Lady Nanaha's maid… shouldn't that be improper…?" The maid stutters, holding tight on the list.

"Wow, that outfit is really getting into your brain," Nanaha laughs at her, taking more candies from a stand with both hands and tossing it in the cart, "Don't forget the maid job is an act, you're my friend before a maid, you silly."

"R-right! I'm sorry… I don't know why I thought something like that." Rhino looks down and bows.

"Eh? Is the outfit actually getting in her brain? Maybe I should make her change clothes now and then," Nanaha thinks, confused as other people on the market stop to look at the girl on maid outfit bowing in front of her. "R-rhino? Stand up please, you're making a scene…" Nanaha stutters taking the girl by the shoulders forcing her to stand, "Let's get the rest of the candies and go back home, alright? I don't want to miss this week Charming Crystal's stream."

"Ah, I remember, you're talking about the idol and the Fox girls?" Rhino tells to her raising her finger.

"Yes, that's the one, that Crystal girl is super cute!" Nanaha says taking pudding cups from the stand and adding them to the cart.

"But the Fox girls look really realistic to me… don't you think they're actual Friends?" Rhino asks her while striking the pudding from the note list.

"No way, that's all cosplay, people do cosplay of Friends more than you think," Nahana answers and laughs, jumping on the cart as Rhino pushes it around. "Go, go, to the next aisle!"

"You sure are excited today, Lady Nanaha," Rhino giggles as she drives with the girl on the cart.

They keep driving on the halls until the cart is full, when they're about to pay the cashier, something flashes on Rhino's mind like lighting. "We left Boss alone in the house, will that be ok?" She gasps worried, looking at Nanaha.

"Is must be fine… probably," Nanaha answers, feeling doubt herself, the thought never crossed her mind before leaving.

In their walk back home, people mumble when they see the maid carrying an enormous amount of bags in her hands like is nothing, when they stop on a streetlight, Rhino spots familiar people running on a street far away.

"Lady Nanaha, look that way," Rhino tells her pointing out and raising her arm full of market bags, startling the people mumbling near, "Isn't that…"

"Oh, is them, they seem to be having fun!" Nanaha laughs while staring.

"F-fun you say…?" Rhino wonders with a troubled face.

"Not gonna bother!" Nanaha quickly says when the streetlight changes to green, running to the other side, "We still have a cake left to buy, hurry up!"

The maid chases her master confused, "Is not enough candy already?!"

"I beg you; let me rest for five minutes!" Auron pants, wearing his tracksuit and with his face covered in sweat, the boy is trotting outside with his Friends. Aurochs and Oryx look at him helplessly as the distance from them grows longer, the boy is unable to reach the athletic girls no matter how much he jogs and now he's falling behind even more.

"No way, c'mon you're so close!" Lion answers, making fun of the boy, "How is that you had a track suit to do exercise but never actually did it?"

"Is… called… fashion…" Auron coughs, his face turning pale.

"Is called being lazy," Lion insists, hitting the stomach of the boy with her talons, "C'mon you're falling behind again; there's another four laps after this!"

"No way… I'm not going to make it," The boy tells her while panting, you can hear his breathing.

The other two keep staring the scene and giggle, embarrassed from the people on the street watching them while trotting.

"I feel bad for Auron, but he really needs to do some exercise…" Aurochs mumbles so Lion can't hear her.

"Mmh, if he doesn't, he won't be able to keep peace with us on a mission," Oryx nods.

"Although…" They think at the same time, looking back at Lion, up on Auron's shoulders, with a worrisome expression, "If only Lady Lion could get down… this would be so much easier for him."

The boy collapses on the street from exhaustion, and Lion falling over his back makes a killer combo, leaving Auron knocked out on the floor. He quickly wakes up after some minutes, lying over a bench he opens his eyes and sits slowly. Aurochs and Oryx approach to him with a gentle smile, giving him a water bottle and towel, the boy gulps down the bottle and pours some on the towel to clean his face. "Where's Lion?" He asks after refreshing himself, the girls giggle and point to the left, the cat-girl is holding a conversation with a phone.

"My phone…? When did she?" Auron asks confused checking his pockets, "Who is she talking to even?"

"With your sister of course," Oryx answers with a smile.

"She was so worried after you passed out, she called to know what to do in case of a heatstroke," Aurochs adds, laughing with the other girl.

"Is that so…" The boy slightly blushes, he stands up and walks to Lion, poking her shoulder; then poking her cheek when she turns.

"Auron, are you ok already?!" She asks, nervous and embarrassed, "I… was just…"

"Is fine, they told me already," Auron interrupts her with a smile, "Thank you for worrying, I'm better now."

The cat-girl nods without saying a word, then a voice coming from the phone makes her turn the phone back to Auron, "She says she wants to talk with you."

He nods and takes the phone, slowly holding it against his ear – WHAT ARE YOU DOING PASSING OUT ON THE STREET?! – His sister shouts from the side, the boy almost drops the phone.

"I'm… I'm sorry," the boy replies scared, waving to Lion, he walks away from the girls.

Auron: We were in the middle of exercise and I went a bit too far, I'm sorry.

Aurora: I see… Well, you sound healthy from here so I'm not going to pester with it.

Auron: Thanks…

Aurora: But that's not why I'm calling you, is because the other thing.

Auron: Ah… wait, you really disarmed it?

Aurora: It was hard, but yes.

Auron: So? Did you find anything suspicious?

Aurora: Nothing, is clean of microphones and cameras to spy on us, is mostly a toy, like Mirai put in the note.

A sobbing noise slowly fills the background from Aurora's side.

Auron: Is… everything ok? I'm hearing something weird in the house.

Aurora: Nothing to worry of… just a crybaby.

Auron: Crybaby…?

The conversation suddenly stops, the sobbing noises grow stronger on the speaker, fighting noises is the only the boy can hear until a clean, loud cry fills on his ear.

Wild Dog: AURON… AURON… AURORA… YOUR SISTER…!

Auron: Ah, I knew it was you.

Wild Dog: BOSS IS DEAD… SHE KILLED HIM… IS ALL ON PIECES ON THE FLOOR… AURON!

Auron: Calm down, you need to breath, listen, Boss is not dead… is disarmed.

Wild Dog: IS DEAD… I SAW HOW SHE KILLED HIM… BOSS… BOSS!

Auron: Wild Dog… she will assemble it back again, you just need to hold on…

Fighting noises fill the speaker again – GIVE ME THAT BACK – The boy can hear, the phone has returned to her sister.

Aurora: Ehem!

Auron: How could you do that in front of her? The poor is going to plan a funeral if you don't hurry and assemble it back.

Aurora: Uhm? Excuse me? Suddenly I can't hear you!

Auron: Hey! Don't play dumb now; you aren't the only one who can slip from being judged!

Aurora: I can't hear you! You must be going through a tunnel right? Then see you later!

The woman hangs up and the conversation ends there, Auron sighs and saves the phone back on his pocket, then returns to the girls, who are chatting on the bench. "Well, shall we continue?" He asks, faking an energetic tone.

"Eh? You mean it?!" Aurochs stands up pumped.

"Of course, there's four laps left right?" The boy tells to them and the girls get up smiling.

"Alright, then let me get up on your shoulders again!" Lion says, with no trace of guilt.

"This time, you are running with us." Auron stops her, gesturing with his hand and with an evil smile.

"… Come again?" The cat-girl asks in doubt.

"Oh Jaguar, you're early today, is Saturday, you know, we open late today," An old man tells to Black Jaguar with a goody-good tone while cleaning a table as she walks down the stairs inside of a small restaurant. The girl stretches and yawns, she passes through a small door to get on an open kitchen and pours warm and freshly brew coffee on a cup.

"I didn't feel like sleeping anymore, also…" She gazes to the sink, which is full of plates and pots of many sizes, "We left a mess from last night." Jaguar tells to the man, pointing at the sink with the cup of coffee while she lies on the inn.

The man laughs loud and heavy, cleaning on the tables, "As always, I can count with you to lend me a hand with this old man place."

"Don't say something like that," Jaguar blushes and sips on the coffee, "All I do is cleaning and cook rice… everybody can do that."

"You say that, but lately we keep having more customers who want to eat your rice," The old man walks to a small door and takes a broom, then starts sweeping the floor, "You can be a great chef if you want."

Jaguar blushes even more and turns, "C-compliments will take you nowhere with me!" She holds tight on the cup with both hands.

The man lets out another of his thunderous laughs, "I get it, then I'll just make you practice your cooking skills and then you'll see!"

"Hmph!" Jaguar whines, she takes the cup to the sink and starts organizing the plates and pots to clean them. "A chef you say…? Working making food… doesn't sound so bad…" She thinks, hiding her smile.

"Ah, now that I think about it, where is that daughter of mine?" The man asks looking at Jaguar.

"Fuyumi? She stayed up until late playing videogames with you-know-who again," Jaguar tells to him while applying water over the dirty dishes.

"Every Saturday is the same; those two are sure a handle…" He complains; a bit disappointed.

"She will be up before we open, I believe," Jaguar adds as she begins to scrub. "Until then, I'll do everything I can to cover her."

"See?" The man says while laughing, "I do can always count on you!"

"I fulfilled my part of the deal, where's our part?" A little 12 years old kid asks to King Cobra, lifting a white bag on his hand, with other two boys behind.

"Hold on your horses, I need to check the merchandise first," Cobra tells to the kid and hisses, the boy groans but gives her the bag anyway. "Uhm, good, everything seems to be in order," The snake-girl smiles and brings a can full of little wooden sticks and shakes it.

"Ah, finally!" The kids jump excited.

"As part of our deal, I'll give you five winning ice cream sticks." Cobra opens the lid of the can, but the kids suddenly change their mood and whine.

"That wasn't the deal! You were going to give us ten!" The biggest boy pouts loudly.

"And you were supposed to get me ten of this in exchange, remember?" She says, shaking the bag, "But there are only five of them, so I'm giving you five sticks."

"Urgh… fine!" The boy extends his arm and opens his hand to receive the sticks.

Cobra takes the sticks from the can when Gray Wolf appears from behind, "What the hell are you doing on this dark corner with these little kids?"

The snake-girl jumps incredibly high from the surprise, and drops the can on the floor, the wood sticks falling all over the ground. "Crap, I need to pick them up… otherwise!" She thinks, but it was already too late, the kids took advantage from Cobra's negligence, picking up more than twenty sticks and running away with them.

"You little…" Cobra hisses aggressively at Gray Wolf, who takes a few steps back because of her menacing expression.

"It… it looks like I bumped on a bad timing… but before yelling at me, care to tell me what where you exactly doing here?" Wolf waves her hands, trying to calm Cobra before she explodes.

"Can't you see? Business," Cobra replies picking the can back, sighing when looking it was completely empty.

"Don't go making 'businesses' with kids, what was so important to keep it secret from us?" Gray Wolf mumbles, scratching the back of her head.

The snake-girl doesn't answers; she just opens the bag she was holding and shows Gray Wolf five colorful tokens. "Ah, I think I know what are those, they're from that show for boys that put on the weekends right?"

"Exactly," Cobra nods and hisses.

"So what about it, I still don't get it." Gray Wolf insists.

"These are super rare, collection toys, we can exchange them for money to whoever collects this stuff." She answer, shaking the bag.

"Really?! But wait… is not like we need money that badly, why would you be doing this?" Wolf asks once again.

"You'll understand if you follow me," Cobra tells her, in silence, both girls get out of the alley and walk to the park. Wolf facial expressions gradually change as she looks at Giraffe, running around, soaking kids with a very realistic water gun.

"Don't… tell me… not again," Wolf stutters, dropping on her knees and slowly covering her face, tiny crying noises coming out.

"She used all the money Nameko gave us for next week already… everything on that gun… to 'help on the investigations' she said." Cobra explains her slowly, carefully looking at the tokens.

"No way… there's no way that can help her on her so-called investigations…" Gray Wolf cries gets louder, "Please… get our money back Cobra."

"I-I know, c'mon, stand up," The snake-girls tells to Wolf while taking her from an arm to lift her up.

The two girls walk away from the park, with Giraffe still playing around, her face covered in dirt and mud from playing with the water gun, she never notices the other girls coming or leaving.

"E-excuse me… Miss?" a young attendant stutters, the man has walked to a woman who is calmly reading the newspaper, she's sitting on a table inside of a quiet establishment, full of book stands, "Are you the mother of the two girls who came here recently?" The young man insists, rubbing his hands nervously.

The woman folds the newspaper and gives him a smile, "Yes, they're my daughters, why? Is there a problem?"

"Well, you see," the boy scratches the back of his head, "They seem to have built… a fort."

"A fort you say?" The woman chuckles and saves the newspaper inside of her bag. She walks with the attendant through some stalls until he points out to the corner in the kid's area. A small edification entirely composed by books has been made in the place. "Oh, I see, a fort," The woman chuckles again and pats the shoulder of the boy, "I'm sorry for the trouble, I'll tell them to put the books back in place."

"Please and thanks," the young man sweats and slightly bows to her.

Humming and with a smile, Hanako walks to the fort, kneels and knocks in the entrance, two little faces show from the holes on the sides instantly.

"Mom, there's so much books in this library!" Professor shouts.

"Mommy, look! We made a castle!" Assistant joins on the screaming.

"There, there, where are your modals? You aren't suppose to raise your voices on the library," Hanako tells them, poking their noses.

"Sorry!" they answer together.

"Anyway, can I go inside your castle?" Hanako asks them with a smile.

"You need to say the code words first!" Assistant tells her, raising her hand.

"A password you mean?" Hanako says, pretending to be confused, then quickly snaps her fingers, "Curry rice is the best!"

The owl girls smile wide and move the books from the door so the woman can go inside. Hanako walks on squats and sits. "Is a bit cramped here…" She says holding on her knees.

"Sorry, we made it to our size only," Professor says walking to her with books on both hands.

"Isn't it great, our book castle," Assistant adds, hugging Hanako.

The woman hugs her back and assistant looks back at Professor, sticking out her tongue, the white owl stares at the books on her hands and looks back at her friend, frustrated and jealous. "I think your book castle is very pretty," Hanako tells them with a gentle tone and continues, "But you are bothering other people on the library, they can't read the books they want because you used them to build this, you need to put them back."

The little girls let out a long and disappointed – Ehhhhh? Just more 5 minutes! – At the same time, looking at Hanako with puppy eyes.

Blushing looking at their faces, Hanako coughs and changes their mind, "F-fine, just five more minutes, and then you will put everything back, is that ok?"

"Alright!" The owls answer together, Hanako squats out of the fort and stands up, carefully stretching her back, when a little hand holds on her pants.

"Can we get ice cream on the way back?" Professor asks, looking up at her.

"Of course, I feel like having ice cream too after all!" Hanako quickly answers her.

"Assistant, we are getting ice cream today!" Professor shouts to the other girl as she walks back into the fort.

"Really? Mom is the best!" Assistant cheers from inside.

"The really best!" Professor shouts with her.

"And you are the cutest daughters," Hanako whispers as she walks away.

"Welcome to Japari Café… Oh, but is Raccoon! Did you come here all by yourself?" Alpaca asks as she receives the excited, animal-girl.

"Yes, Raccoon is a grown Friend now!" She huffs, striking a proud pose.

Alpaca giggles and gestures with her right hand, "Well, for the grown Friend, your date is waiting for you on the table; Ibis will be attending you on a while."

Raccoon doesn't think it twice, she runs to the table in a matter of seconds, where she finds Fennec, who was looking to a window until recently. "Oh Raccoon, I didn't notice you coming." She says with a smug tone.

"Don't be such a liar! You saw her coming from afar!" A voice shouts from behind of them, Fennec quickly loses her edge and Raccoon breaks on laughter, waving as she sits. "Hi Erika, thanks for bringing Fennec to our date!" Raccoon yells back to her.

The gyaru girl sits back on the table while laughing; she puts her bag over the table and brings a set of nail polish. "Thank you for letting them has their date here, Akizuki." Erika tells to the girl in front of her, shaking the bottles.

"No problem, that's one of the points of our café after all," Akizuki answers back, looking excitedly at the countless polis and other make-up utensils. "There's just so much… this one! I want to try this red colored one!" She says, holding the bottle against the light.

"Did you wait too much?" Raccoon asks, rocking on the chair.

"N-not at all, we just got here recently," Fennec tells to her, blushing.

"Fennec, look! I did this all by myself, look!" The Raccoon girl says repeatedly, pulling a bunch of papers from her purse and handing them to the fox-girl.

Fennec takes them one by one and looks at them carefully, the papers are filled with scrawls of many colors, impossible to recognize at first glance, with many weird figures and zones where it was obvious Raccoon pressed the pencil with all her might. Fennec giggles confused as she looks back to Raccoon, who is obviously waiting a for the fox-girl comments over her drawings.

"I'm sorry; I'm a bit confused… what are these?" Fennec asks, pointing at the drawings.

"You see, I made all of them! They're drawings of all of us!" Raccoon answers, leaning on the table, she points at the drawings. "This is when we all stayed in Kaban's place, this one is from that day when we had Taiyaki with you and Erika and this one is when we all came to Japari Café the first time! Aren't they great?!" She says, bumping her chest, "Kaban says they're great so she must be right! Aren't I a genius artist?!"

"Y-yeah… they're so good I couldn't understand them at first," Fennec lies to her with a forced grin. "Kaban you shouldn't lie to her like that… though here I am doing the same," she thinks as she keeps complimenting the scrawls.

Ibis flutters to the table where the animal girls are and lands in front of them. "Good morning, Fennec, Raccoon, what would you be having today?"

"Two of the usual of course," Fennec quickly answers her, gesturing with a finger.

"I get it, two lattes and two chocolate cake slices right up, I'll be back on a minute!" Ibis notes the order and leave flying with a spin and a smile.

"I know, I'll do a portrait of Fennec!" Raccoon says, opening her purse wide over the table, white sheets and colors falling on the table, the girl picks them up and aiming to the fox-girl with her thumb, she starts drawing like crazy, holding on the color with the whole hand, just like a little kid would do. "Stay like that… this will be… my master piece!"

"Y-you don't have to force yourself Raccoon, really," Fennec nervously tells her as the other just follows her artistic drive.

"Can't stop now, I'm going do a beautiful portrait of you!" Raccoon insists, looking at Fennec with a blushing smile, "A drawing that shows how beautiful you are!"

Fennec goes awfully red in seconds, unable to answer; she just looks down embarrassed and nods. "T-then… I'll leave it to you."

"You kidding, you don't paint your nails?" Erika asks surprised, holding on Akizuki's hand as she paint her nails with the red polish.

"I've tried before, but I'm so bad using make up…" Akizuki stutters embarrassed, looking how Erika swiftly pain over her nails. "You are so good on this though... Is so nice to finally have someone to do these things… hope you can teach me lots of things."

"Of course!" the gyaru answers with a smile, "Girls must help each other to stay pretty!"

"Thanks for waiting, your order is ready," Ibis appears once again flying, she serves a cup of latte to Fennec and Raccoon and puts a covered plate in the middle while smiling.

"Uh? What is that? Where are our cakes?" Fennec asks confused.

"Well you see, we want you to be taste testers of our little experiment," Ibis says and lifts the cover.

Both girls react surprised, "Japari buns!" Raccoon yells, quickly taking one with both hands, "Ah, is so warm and smells so good… I thought there wasn't Japari buns on this world!"

"I thought the same," Fennec nods while taking one of the buns, "Oh it really is warm, how did you made them?"

"Alpaca and Koala have been on the kitchen all morning, trying out different doughs and vegetable mixes to replicate the flavor and texture of the ones we ate on the Park," Ibis explains to them, pressing the menu against her chest, "Food on this world is more tasty and different, but in the end we missed the flavor of a good Japari Bun."

"I totally get you, I also feel like that sometimes," Fennec says to Ibis, she pinches the bun with the tip of her finger and takes it in her mouth, slowly savoring it. "Oh, this thing is actually good!" She shouts surprised.

"It's delicious!" Raccoon adds, with her face full of bun leftovers and vegetable mix, "It tastes a lot like the Japari Buns!"

"Really? I'm so glad!" Ibis sighs in relief and smiles, "I'll go and tell to Alpaca and Koala, we must make another set for later today!"

"Oh, that's a nice idea; a lot of Friends would like to taste these things!" Fennec waves at the bird-girl as she flies into the kitchen.

"But you really surprised Auron that day, it was so funny," Erika laughs as she finishes on Akizuki's nails.

"Y-yeah, I don't know what I was expecting when I did that…" The girl mumbles, happily staring at her nails glowing on red polish. "Still, I'm surprised you noticed… and keep acting normally."

"You were feeling lonely, of course," Erika says with eyes closed and a serious expression, "But don't worry, because we all are your friends now, we will go in many girly dates from now on, so don't hold back alright?"

The red-haired girl, mixed on feelings, gives Erika an honest smile, "Yes, I hope we can keep dates like this from now on too!"

"Leaving that aside," Erika says, looking around of the café, "The first time when came here, everything was dusty, but now everything seems to have adopted more shape, why was that?"

"Well, you see," Akizuki blows on her nails, "This place is property of my parents, they closed it a couple of months before I was born, and now I'm reopening with the help of Alpaca and the others."

"And what your parents say about that?" Erika asks confused, at the same time, Ibis comes and leaves coffee cups over their table.

"They say I will end up closing it just like they did… but I want to show them is not going to end like that" She sasy, looking at the piano in the background, "This place still has so much to give."

The girls laugh and chat for a while as the gyaru pulls a glowing polish cover to put over Akizuki's nail. When their conversation stops as they both focus on the painting, they hear little weird noises coming from Fennec and Raccoon table; they turn their heads to their direction and explode red like tomatoes. Holding on each other hands, the animal-girls are sharing some little, beak kisses with each other, Akizuki and Erika silently stare, they can only hear their respiration and little noises product of their kissing.

"Ehm… are you ok with that…? Is your café so, if you want to stop them…" Erika stutters, covering her face.

"N-no! T-that happens on all dates, right? It would be disrespectful from me to tell customers to stop kissing, and is not like they're going too far," Akizuki shakes her hands nervously, turning her face back to her respective table.

"I guess… if it doesn't bother you," Erika follows Akizuki and sits back in place, she coughs to take her composure back and takes a sip on the coffee.

"Fennec… your tongue is so warm…" They hear Raccoon moan from their table. Akizuki screams embarrassed and covers her face with both hands, Erika spits on her coffee because of the surprise; she stands angry and embarrassed, screaming with all her might, "YOU ARE GOING TOO FAR ON YOUR FIRST DATE."

"C'mon, I know you can do it," Kaban whines, shoving one of the multiplication tables in front of Serval's face, "How many is two times four?!"

"Urgh… I know that one…" Serval says stroking her chin, meditating.

"Of course you know this one you just practiced it…" Kaban sighs.

"Nya! Don't say it like that! I can solve it!" Serval pouts, hitting the table.

"Fine, two times four is…?" Kaban insist, waiting for the cat-girl to answer.

"Well… Uhm… It has to be…" She mumbles, stroking her chin furiously, "Is… eight!"

"Finally!" Kaban shouts, tossing the multiplication tables in the air from the impression.

"Yay, can I have fried sardines now?" Serval asks, waving her tail.

"I'm afraid is already too late for that, maybe another day," Kaban tells her while petting her head.

"Eh… but you promised…" Serval pouts, but Kaban ignores her, slowly scratching and rubbing her head, the cat-girl melts over the hands of the girl. "Y-you can't do this every time… y-you need to calm me down… ah, a bit more… on the right, yes there," Serval moans to Kaban, rubbing her ear against her hand, quickly forgetting about the food.

"Don't worry, because a lot of food is about to come this way right now," Kaban happily says to her, tickling her tummy.

"W-w-what do you mean w-with that?!" The cat-girl burst in laughing and falls on the floor.

"Got cha' you're wide open!" Kaban yells, jumping over the girl and tickling her more.

"N-no, stop, I'm going to wet myself, KABAN!" The cat-girl begs for mercy of the girl as she spasms uncontrollably on the floor.

"I thought Fennec was the one teaching weird things to Raccoon, but I guess it was you," A feminine voice tells them from behind.

Agitated and surprised, the girls turn awfully embarrassed, looking at Erika who has come inside of the apartment, Auron, Akizuki and Nanaha peaking from behind the gyaru.

"E-e-erika… Everyone… y-you came earlier," Kaban stutters flustered, quickly getting up from Serval and wiping her clothes.

"Akizuki closed the café early because there weren't enough customers today," Erika sighs and continues, "And everyone was hungry so we decide to drop early, mind if we come in?"

"You are already in!" Kaban pouts, making Erika chuckle.

Everyone enters the apartment with bags on their hands. Auron and Akizuki quickly seize Kaban's kitchen and start cooking together. The living room is filled with a lively atmosphere, the Friends and the kids laughing together, Alpaca and Ibis hanging balloons and wreaths on the walls, Raccoon constantly blocking Koala from sliding her pap food into the kid's cooking.

Nanaha and Rhino helping on arranging the table with a cloth, plates, cups and cutlery, revealing the huge, white frost cake with tons of strawberries on top they brought with them. Dusk on the late evening, the place gets louder and louder when Aurora and Nameko, both with their Friends, join in the party with the rest of the kids.

"Is alright for you to bring Nameko's Friends and yours to here? Won't that raise questions on us?" Lion asks to Aurora who is sitting in the table of the kitchen, serving her soda on a cup, both watching Aurochs lift up Kaban's couch with Fennec, Koala and Serval on top.

"Is fine really, also…" Auora mumbles, pointing at Brown Bear, who lifts up Aurochs on her arms as she lifts the couch, getting everyone excited, "I thought it would nice for them to meet more of their kind."

"I guess you're right…" Lion tells her with doubt on her tone, taking the soda bottle back to the kitchen, "And you, where you plan to join in?" She asks to Auron as the boy serves Yakitori sticks on a plate.

"I'm almost done with the food here," The boy answers, shoving a piece of fried meat inside of Lion's mouth, "You shouldn't worry for me, the party is for you girls after all."

"Fow uws?" The cat-girl mumbles with her mouth stuffed, she swallows and tries again, "Wasn't this just a casual party?"

"Well, something in between, Alpaca!" The boy turns and gives the plate to the girl, she smiles and takes it to the living room.

Night time comes and the party seems still too far to end, but when Akizuki and Auron call everyone to the table, they take a pause for the laughs and the noise to join their call. Nameko brings a camera out of her purse and prepares as everyone poses behind the table, the cake and the food, trying to fit tight on the picture. Gray Wolf over Giraffe's shoulders, Ibis lifting Koala on the air; Raccoon, Serval and Kaban squishing each other, Rhino, carrying Nanaha on her arms and so on, a particularly and unique scene made from their silliness.

"Ready everyone? Say cheese!" Nameko yells as she presses the trigger of the camera.

The party resumes and everyone joins in the table to eat together, Erika stands with her cup and bangs it with a plastic fork, calling everyone's attention. "It's time for the cake! And with it, some toast words from our host, Kaban!"

The jumps startled at her words, but with everyone staring at her with a smile, Kaban has nothing else to do but shake her shyness away and grab her cup. "T-thank you all for coming here today, I hope you're enjoying the party…"

"What a boilerplate," They think, as the girl struggles to continue.

"M-many of you have asked why is this party specifically for you, the Friends," She takes a deep breath and continues, "Today a month ago… the incident in the school happened."

Everyone shuts their mouths instantly; they look at the girl worried.

"I know… I know! I still don't feel all fine after the fights with the Ceruleans, but that's not what we are celebrating!" She says, waving her hand, "We are celebrating this day, because… is the day when you all came to our lives… and changed them forever… for the better." She finishes with a blushing smile, looking at Serval.

"You are missing the 'cheers' part you dummy!" Erika shouts, making everyone laugh.

"Y-you're right… i-in resume… I… uhm!" She stutters more and more, the laughs get louder. "In resume!" She yells decisive, "Today is a day where we show our appreciation for all of us and how much we love all of you! Please enjoy this party until the end! Ready? One… two…"

" _CHEERS!"_ echoes in the apartment, the Friends clap, the kids hitting their cups together.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:** _Three Dragons, a Snake and a Cat._

When the night is at peak, when the cold of the breeze freezes your skin on single touch and when not a single soul can be hear in the deepest alleys of the city, the calm is interrupted by the sounds of fight. A man can be seen running away by the drunken and tired people on small stalls who are still open, the noise slowly waking up the ones with most light sleep, lights are being switched on, the commotion is drawing the attention of the few curious enough to take a peak.

One of the drunken men on a stall, with his bottle on hand and tie on head, jumps angrily from his seat and screams gibberish to the running man when a giant shadow throws him on the floor, crushing cars and slamming it's body against the walls as it runs, chasing the man on the streets. The drunken man is mocked by the ones still sitting on the stall, and when he tries to stand up on his feet, is throw on the floor once again by a group of men on suits, chasing the mysterious creature.

Panting, sweating, and with the face of someone who just saw their own flash of life, the man keeps running away from the creature, turning on every narrow alley, screaming on despair as he feels his legs slowly giving up. The creature gives him no time to rest, it squishes its body through the alleys like is nothing, breaking pipes and electricity posts as it pushes forward between the walls.

"Where did it go, damn how did we lose it again?!" cries one of the men in suits.

"Just shut up and follow the noise, we need to help save him!" screams one of the others.

"And how are we supposed to do that?! Bullets didn't work no matter how many we shot!"

The second man grabs the other by the neck. "Is that going to stop you from saving him?!"

The other three stops on their track and hurry to separate them from fighting.

"This is not the time! Stop!" they yell and struggle, trying is best to separate them from each other.

But when they less expected it – SAVE ME! IS EATING ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE! – The cries of the man can be heard far away coming from a blind alley where the light doesn't reach. A cold chill fills the bodies of the men instantly like a virus, with tears in their eyes, and clenching their teeth on frustration, all of them draw a gun from their jackets and scream with a mix of rage and powerless to the place where the noise is coming from.

They reach the blind alley and point almost everywhere confused, there's no sign of the man, neither the creature – WRAAAARGH! – An unimaginable howl is heard on the corner; they run and hide behind a garbage deposit and peak from it. Two figures with shinning eyes stand in front of a giant shadow, which slowly vanishes in the air; they begin to mumble between each other when one of them walks near the garbage deposit to pick up a Smartphone that has been left in the ground. The men look at each other and don't think it twice; they jump over the figure and restrain their mouth and arms, when the other runs in aid of their partner, it gets caught by the men too.

With ropes and blindfolds, they completely creature a couple of odd looking girls and carry them over their shoulders, they throw them inside of a van and press the gas pedal once they hear police sirens coming near. The van quickly goes on the streets and disappears from the dark, dirty suburbs.

"Are you there? Can you hear me?" One of the girls asks out loud.

"Shut the hell up shrimp!" a man on the seat shouts to her.

A gently bump of a foot on her shoulder makes the girl react, _"I'm here, what is happening?"_ A gentle voice whispers to her.

" _I'm not entirely sure, but I suppose we are getting kidnapped,"_ The girl whispers back to her.

" _Ah, is that so…"_ The other says uninterested.

" _Don't cool off on a situation like this, hey!"_ The girl whispers nervously, almost shouting.

" _Then want to break these things and run away? They feel really easy to break, were they really thinking this would restrain us?"_ She chuckles, the other girls puts her shoe over her mouth so she doesn't laugh.

" _I also think we should do that, but there's something that has been bothering me for a while,"_ She whispers, trying to stand up, " _Let me confirm it."_ The girl takes a deep breath and shouts, "Does the name of Ryuuichi mean something to any of you?"

The van drifts at the end of her sentence and angry, frustrated mumbles can be heard from them, but they don't reply a word to her. The girl lies back down and keeps on silence for a couple of minutes reflecting about their reaction.

" _It does look like they know something; we should let them keep with their part until we see where they take us,"_ She whispers while gently bumping the shoulder of the other with her feet.

" _Now I can't wait to know where they are taking us,"_ The other girl answers with a giggle.

" _You really have no sense of awareness do you…"_ The girl sighs, angry and disappointed.

Half an hour passes before the car stops, the girls hear the engine stopping and the men getting off, a door opens and they're suddenly getting dragged out by the shoulders and pushed all the way, unknown of their destination. The blindfolds are taken down and the girls slowly open their eyes, they find themselves standing in front of a luxurious, gloomy room, lightened by candles and an old, ceiling light. The men make them kneel in front of an old man on a black suit sitting on a leather couch, old as the world, with long and pronounced wrinkles on his eyes and forehead and a long white beard and mustache that covered his mouth but bald on the head.

With a gesture of his right hand, one of the men quickly handed him a black stick with gold impressions, the old man slowly but firmly stands on his feet and walks to the girl, he strokes his barb mumbling to himself and suddenly hits the floor with the stick, startling everyone.

"Where is Ryuuichi?" the old man asked, with a trembling, but heavy voice.

One of the girls immediately looks up to him with a serious expression. "Ryuuichi is dead," She replied with no doubts on her voice.

"Dead…?" The other girl thinks confused.

The men reacted furiously, making rumbling noises, they were slowly moving towards the girls when the old man gestures with his hand, stopping them. "Is that so…" The old man mumbles, walking back to his couch, one of the men runs to a table on the side of the room, full of bottles of all sizes and colors, serving a little of red liquid in a crystal glass and handing it to the old man, he strokes his bard to separate the hair from his mouth and then take a sip. "My men said they found you where Ryuuichi was; they say you killed the monster that was chasing him."

The girl who first answered him nods, "Yes we did, but we were too late."

"And who are you, exactly?" The old man asks; then takes another sip of liquor.

"I'm Tsuchinoko, the other girl is Sand Cat." She replies calmly, pointing at the other with her tail.

"Uhm indeed, you do look alike," He replies with a little laugh. "So then… who were you for Ryuuichi?"

The cat-girl raises her hand on a blink, breaking the ropes that were tying her and making the men drop their jaws on a scared surprise. "Yes, here! We are Ryuuichi best friends… ah; I guess we are the best Friend friends…" She laughs innocently.

"Tch… Sand Cat, you weren't suppose to break the ropes now," Tuchinoko groans, breaking hers, the men gasp surprised again.

"And who might you be; old man?" Sand Cat asks, tilting her head.

"Hey, more respect to the first head!" One of the man cries, but once again a gesture of the old man is enough to stop them from moving.

"My name is Ryuuzou… I'm Ryuuichi's grandfather," he replies with a wide, creepy smile, showing a golden tooth.

Tsuchinoko looks at him with a sad expression; then bows slowly, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Loss…?" Sand Cat wonders.

"I see… you aren't a bad kid after all," Ryuuzou says with a little laugh, "You were also one of his friends like the other said, right?" He asks, pointing with his stick.

"I… wasn't his friend," Tsuchinoko replies with doubt.

"What are you talking about? After all the times he played and took care of us," San Cat says, looking at her confused.

"Well I never paid attention to those times, all right!?" She yells, pissed off, "I know he played with me, but is not like I cared…" Tsuchinoko stutters, looking to the other side.

"Played?" One of the men mumbles flustered.

"He was having a love affair?" asks the other.

"Well, I do remember him," San Cat pouts, "I played a lot of times with him, he was a really nice guy, that Ryuuichi" She says that clenching her first with a thumbs up.

"He 'played' with her too?!" The mob begins to mumble again.

"Does his girlfriend knows in what he was into?" they whisper to each other.

"That's enough, you low lives!" Tsuchinoko yells, slamming her tail against the floor like a whip. "Wasn't Ryuuichi like his boss or something?! Show more respect!"

The men get silent and look down; Sand Cat stares confused once again and Ryuuzou drops a heavy, long laugh, oddly looking for a man of his age. "That's the spirit! No matter if you say you don't remember him… you indeed are a friend of Ryuuichi, he liked people like you after all!" He gestured at the girls and pointed at the sofa on their left, "Please, sit, I want you to tell me what happened in that alley… and what was exactly that so called monster my men were talking about."

The animal girls look at each other and nod, following the old man instructed, they sit, and two men hand them glasses with liquor. Tsuchinoko raises the glass, looking at the light going through the amber liquid, with doubts she sniffs on the glass and grimaces instantly, the old man laughs and gestures her to drink, she can't help but give him an awkward smile.

"Uhm… this thing is good, my tummy feels warm all of a sudden, what is it?" Sand Cat sighs, she was holding the glass with both hands; the girl has drunk the content on it on an instant, a man quickly appears with a bottle with more of the liquid and fills her glass again. "Ah, thank you, do you perhaps have Japari buns?" She asks with an innocent smile.

"J-japari… what?" The man with the bottle stutters, looking at the girl flustered.

"Our guests seem to be hungry, bring something to eat would you; this seems like is going to be a long night." Ryuuzou tells to the men, who bow to him and start to move, "After that I want us to leave us alone, there's no more need of bodyguards." He finishes, with a heavy breath.

"Sand Cat you dangerous Friend… I wish you could think things twice…" Tsuchinoko sighs, taking a sip on the beverage and grimacing again.

Nervous, but obedient, they do as they're told and leave the room once they put a small table with liquors, tobacco, crackers and dry meat in front of them. Ryuuzou leaves the glass over the table and takes one of the tobaccos; he bites on one of the points and spits it away, then takes the other side and slashes it with a cigar cutter. He points and the lighter in the other side of the table, "Would you light this for me?" He asks with his cranky voice.

Sand Cat takes the lighter and it immediately feels both of the girls with an uncontrollably curiosity. "This thing? How does it work?" Sand Cat asks, but before Ryuuzou can say a thing, Tsuchinoko takes it from her hands, excited and breathing heavy.

"Well, you see, a lighter is a human invention to make fire, if I remember from the books on the library… this works…" Her finger shaking, she lifts the tap and both girls gasp surprised; then she rotates the spark wheel with her thumb a couple of times when the light comes out. Sand Cat instantly rockets away from the sofa in surprise, but Tsuchinoko stares at it, muttering in delight, perhaps like the first person in the world reacted when they discovered the fire.

"Young girl… would you?" Ryuuzou groans, pointing at his tobacco, Tsuchinoko lets out a nervous screech and apologizes, waving her tail, she gently lights the tobacco of the old man until smokes comes out and the man gestures her to stop. He takes repeated, short breaths, exhaling little clouds of smoke, then pulling the tobacco out of his mouth, Ryuuzou lets a long, breath of ashes, the girls cough disgusted. "Well then, start from the beginning, tell me everything you know."

As Sand Cat sits back on the sofa and picks on the dry meat, Tsuchinoko takes another sip from the glass and starts narrating their story. By the time they appeared on the alley, the cerulean was standing still, digesting a "mysterious" substance when Tsuchinoko told Sand Cat to take it down together, but she never explained the other girl what was the Cerulean digesting inside of its body and so she still won't do it.

A long pause is made between the old man and snake girl, San Cat waves her legs and slowly munches on a piece of cracker, with a dizzy expression, silently laughing to herself. Ryuuzou let's his tobacco rest on the ashtray, and slowly covers his face with both hands, the man who in all the time of the conversation, seemed like a strong, serious man, started to slowly cry over his hands and cough whispering the name of his grandson, Tsuchinoko had no words for him.

The only thing the girl could do was to serve more liquor on his glass, walk to his seat and gently palm his back as she handed him the drink. Trembling, Ryuuzou takes the whole glass in one gulp, and taking a long breath, he took his stick and stood up, walking to a couple of door at the other side of the room, different from where the men came out. Tsuchinoko looked back at the sofa, Sand Cat passed out on it with a glass on her hand and mouth full of leftovers, she decided to let her friend there and follow the old man.

Ryuuzou opened both doors at the same time and the cold wind of the night burst inside the room, the man walked on a terrace; they were standing in the third floor of a mansion. Tsuchinoko followed the man until he let his arm rest over the iron fence and looked up to the sky. "Tsuchinoko… was that your name, right?" he asked.

"Y-yes," she said walking side by him, resting her back on the fence.

"Do you know what Ryuuichi was?" The man asked again, without looking at her.

"I'm not sure what do you mean," She replied confused.

"You see, just like me… Ryuuichi was a gangster, a yakuza, if you care about the terms," He took a long breath a continued, "Ryuuichi was going to inherit our family business… we are a criminal organization of a long heritage, where all male descendants have turned into the first head of the family, generation after generation, ah, would you mind…" He couldn't finish, the man was going to ask her another drink, but Tsuchinoko has been standing beside him with two glasses all the time, he laughed a little as she flustered over her already red cheeks from the alcohol and the cold breeze, Ryuuzou took the drink on his hand and drank. "Of all the times I thought he would never come back home, I didn't expect for things to end this way."

"You say the first head turns into the boss… but the men of earlier talked about you as 'the first head', isn't that suppose to be the job of Ryuuichi's father?" She wondered, playing with her drink.

"Well, that's because… Ryuutarou, Ryuuichi's father, died long time ago," He said, slowly but without hesitation.

Tsuchinoko gasps and coughs on her drink, she looks up to him, sad and frustrated.

"When Ryuutarou was alive, he wanted to do so many things… But he didn't want to be a gangster, that's why I decided to give the family business to someone else," He took a sip of his drink and turned his sight to the snake-girl. "But he died on his early 30s, in an accident on a business trip of his company… Then Ryuuichi, his son, insisted on take back on my steps no matter how much I insisted him to don't… now he's dead too."

Tsuchinoko started to sob, but when Ryuuzou looked at her, she turned her face to the other side. The man let his stick fall on the floor, and held firmly on the fence. "My son and grandson have gone to the other side before me… My longevity, which once I thought was a blessing that would help me to look over my family, is just a curse." He took a step forward; the snake-girl looked at him with cynical eyes. "Now I just want… to meet with my family again."

"Not tonight…" Tsuchinoko whispered, holding tight on his jacket and wiping her eyes, "You have to bury your grandson first." Ryuuzou looked at her in silence and started to laugh, Tsuchinoko rubbed her face and pulled her hood down all the way, covering her face. "D-don't look at me, geez!"

"You sure are an honest, kind girl, Tsuchinoko," He kept laughing, patting the head of the snake-girl over her hood. "… I guess there's nothing else to ask you left, you are free to leave, young girls," Ryuuzou says, clapping his hands, two men quickly open the doors on the other side of the room from behind. "We'll be…. Holding, a small funeral on a couple of days for Ryuuichi… my men will share the information needed for you to assist the ceremony." Ryuuzou says with his cranky but heavy tone.

"Funeral? Tsuchinoko, what is that?" Sand Cat asks, the girl woke up and walked to her friend, pulling on her sleeve with heavy eyes.

"I'll… I'll tell you later ok?" She stutters nervously, patting the head of the cat-girl she meditates her next words and then gestures with her hand looking to Ryuuzou, "I have a favor to ask you… without Ryuuichi, we don't have a place to stay…" She spokes, nervously.

"I see…" Ryuuzou looks up at the lamp on the ceiling and continues, "Well, since you are friends of my grandson… I guess I can let you stay with us for the days before the funeral, but no more than that." The old man answers, stroking his barb.

Enough said, the girls fell asleep together over the couch in the room, and Ryuuzou, after taking off his jacket and covering them with it, left the room with his men, and the chaotic night, started to vanish over the dream realm and was finally consumed with the rays of the sun of the day after.

"Ugh… my head," Tsuchinoko mumbles as she opens her eyes, the morning was kicking straight from the doors of the terrace, which were left open. The snake-girl sits slowly on the couch rubbing her forehead, Sand Cat was nowhere to find, but that wasn't in her list of priorities at the moment. She walked out of the couch and furiously closed the doors, then massaged her head with both hands with an expression full of suffering. "Ah… Dark, cozy spaces are just the best…" She mumbled and walked towards a the table of liquors, removing the lids of each bottle and smelling over it, reacting with the expression of someone about to puke on each one until she finds one with a citric smell. She takes the full bottle with her and sits back on the sofa. The room looked like a different place with the morning lights, a couple of stands behind the sofa behind her with books, luxury plates and pictures of Ryuuichi, his grandfather and another man, probably, his father. Tsuchinoko took a chug from the bottle and gasped loudly, "What are we going to do now…" She wonders, bringing Ryuuichi's phone out of her pocket.

Between a mix of hangover nauseas, curiosity smiles and sounds of crackers being crushed on her mouth, Tsuchinoko unlocks the phone and starts checking on it; his music, his messages, his calls, Tsuchinoko reads it all. "What a noisy brat you were…" She thinks to herself, the snake-girl taps over his gallery of photos and switches around the pictures, most of it were pictures of liquor bottles, cars, motorbikes and absurd amounts of money, the girl stares at it with disgust, but suddenly, switching on the pictures she finds one of a girl, of wonderful beauty, Tsuchinoko can't help but gasp surprised. The pictures of the girl continue, this time with Ryuuchi, on a park, on a cinema, picking up flowers, even pictures of both of them on school. "They look so happy…" she whispers with a smile, the gallery continues. It was all pictures of the girl alone again, then Tsuchinoko stumbled upon screen captures of the same phone, it was captures of the game, mostly conversations with Sand Cat and her, she flusters at the thought of him saving their conversations.

The gallery ends with a video of barely thirty seconds, curious she taps on it, her calm and happiness drops on a blink and the feeling of nausea comes back, the video, short and a bit blurry, shows the exact moment when the game application alerted about the start of the tutorial, Ryuuichi was hanging with his mob when it happened, it also shown the moment when he was separated from his group and the chasing started, the video ends with the sounds of Ryuuichi steps, running and panting, trying to get away from the confusing situation.

Tsuchinoko takes a deep breath and closes the video, the phone goes back to the home-screen, showing a picture wallpaper of Ryuuichi and the girl, smiling and cuddling together, before the screen turns dark. The girl closed her eyes and rested the phone over her forehead, thinking, when she hears the noises of Sand Cat, coming from the outside.

Peaking from a curtain she stares to the outside, a garden full of flowers, similar to the pictures on Ryuuichi's phone, Sand Cat running around while laughing, she points out at one of the men in black clothes hiding under a brush, the guy stands out embarrassed, but having fun, Sand Cat takes him from the arm and keeps looking around the place, she seems to be playing hide-and-seek with them. Tsuchinoko chuckles, staring at the absurd situation and stroking her chin, she wonders, "Just what exactly is a 'criminal organization'… how did he call it again… 'Yakuza'?" the door is knocked, she puts the phone back in her pocket, "Come in" she shouts and the door opens .

One of the men comes from the door, "What the… why is so dark in here?" He says while turning the lights on, Tsuchinoko hisses furiously at him, scaring the man for a second, "M-miss Tsuchinoko… The first head wants to see you," He stutters, checking up and down to her, the man turns more nervous, "Miss Tsuchinoko… are you drinking at this hour? Is barely eight in the morning…" He points at the bottle on her hand.

"Yes, why? Is there a specific hour to drink alcohol?" She asks, whipping her tail against the floor.

"Not at all!" He shouts, scared, "A-anyway! Boss Ryuuzou is waiting for you on the down floor!" the man runs away from the girl.

Chugging on the bottle, Tsuchinoko walks down the stairs and is received by Ryuuzou and two men in the main hall. The girl waves to him and cleans her mouth with the same hand, making the old man laugh. "I see you have got hooked on alcohol, Tsuchinoko."

She flusters, looking at the bottle then looking back to him. "Y-yes, is kind of sweet and bitter… and it makes me feel like burning inside… but is good."

The old man laughs out loud, the other look at her a bit worried. "Young girl, I'm leaving for the day, I need to make preparations for the funeral; the men here will give you whatever you need, so feel free to ask." He finishes with a smile and the girl nods before he turns and leaves.

"Alright… Someone… Anyone!" She shouts out loud, echoing in the mansion, in the matter of seconds, one of the man appears running and kneels in front of her. "Oh, they really did appear," She thinks, before leaving the bottle she was holding on his hands, "First of all give me another one of those… second, you are going to explain me what this 'criminal organization' is all about."

After fifteen minutes, Tsuchinoko walks out to the yard, where Sand Cat seems to be playing tag with the men. "Hey! We are going out!" She yells to the Friend, who stop and drifts, then runs to her partner.

"Out where?" Sand Cat asks while tilting her head.

"We are going back to that alley where we crushed the Cerulean," Tsuchinoko says, the men overhear her and stare with curiosity.

"Why is that?" Sand Cat asks again.

"I have the feeling we may find something there," She says, scratching her cheek, "Just hurry up before I change my mind! They're going to take us there!" She turns back to the mansion and waves to Sand Cat as she leaves.

The girls get inside of a black car, of course, after spending more than half of an hour looking and asking about what is a car, how does it move, and attempting to dissemble it piece by piece to try to understand how it works. After the commotion, two of the men took them on the car and drove them to the city. Tsuchinoko asks them to stop in front of the plaza first, since she wants to check on something, but once the car stops the snake-girl takes Sand Cat by her hand and runs away at an amazing speed.

"W-why are we running?! Aren't we going to talk to that alley?!" Sand Cat reaches to say while being dragged.

"Yes… but not with them following us around! We will take a detour!" Tsuchinoko answers while running, the two of them laugh at their doing as they mix in the multitude and lost the men in black.

Stalls, shops, supermarkets, mall centers, train stations, countless of places, colors and sounds, people wearing many different kinds of clothes, the girls find themselves walking around a whole new world they never expected to see before. "What is that?" "How does it work?" "What are you eating?" "How do you do that?" Their questions don't stop; they can't take two steps without stopping in front of a shop and take whoever they find first to ask the "what", "which" and "who" of it. Deep in the city, walking to a boulevard, the girls stop in front of a crepe stall, their stomach growl looking at women munch on the creamy snack, but when Sand Cat hurries to the stall, Tsuchinoko holds her by the arm on an attempt to stop her.

"We need 'money' to buy this food, without money, they won't give us food, is not like Japari Park, they won't give us food just because we are hungry," Tsuchinoko explains to her.

"Eh? Why is that, is not fair!" The cat-girl pouts, the couple of women walk to the girls chatting and laughing.

"Just look at that, what a cute cosplay! You look like a model!" One of them says, touching the cat ears of the girl.

"Did you say you don't have to buy a crepe?" The other asks, handing her the snack, "Here, have a bite."

"Really?! Thank you…" Sand Cat holds the crepe with both hands and gives a big bite of it.

Tsuchinoko looks at the whole scene amazed, "You don't have any shame either…" she thinks.

Sand Cat munches slowly, savoring the food, her eyes sparkle and whit cream on her cheeks and nose, she jumps three feet on the air and screams, calling everyone's attention, "CREPES ARE AMAZING!"

Tsuchinoko flusters embarrassed, everybody is looking at them, the women are also charmed by the cat-girl expressions and start screaming and taking pictures with her. Slowly people begin to gather around the Friends. "What is she eating? It looks good!" Someone asks from the multitude.

"Is called crepe, from that stall, is really good!" Sand Cat answers while pointing at the shop, everyone gasps and run to the place immediately, quickly the place is overloaded with costumers, and once the women say goodbye and leave the girls alone, the owner of the stall calls them to come, the man immediately gives them both two huge crepes fill with fruits, white cream and candies of many types.

"As a thanks for the publicity!" He says, palming the backs of the girls. Quickly they find themselves being called by other stall owners and the situation repeats. Sand Cat receives food for free and overreacts when eating it, bringing the attention of people and making more costumers, until another owner calls them to help them out.

"You are incredible, you know that?" Tsuchinoko tells to the cat-girl, pointing at her with a piece of dorayaki, the two girls retired to a calmed place of the boulevard to eat on a bench, their legs where filled with board boxes of many sizes with snacks from all stalls.

"Is not my fault for being so adorable," Sand Cat mumbles while licking on an ice cream.

"Don't let that get in your head too much," Tsuchinoko says angrily, eating the dorayaki in one bite and sucking the leftovers from her fingers.

"You should be more grateful, after all no one asked you to help by how ugly you are, also, you smell awful, how much did you drank yesterday, uh?" The snarky comments of Sand Cat don't stop, the girl is full of herself while crunching the cone of her ice cream.

Tsuchinoko gets pissed and stands, blushed, she takes Sand Cat by the collar of her clothes, "What did you just say of me being ugly?!" She yells shaking the girl who just gives her a smug expression.

The cat-girl ears tingle, her expression changes as she looks her surroundings, Tsuchinoko, still holding Sand Cat by the neck reacts the same way. "There are Friends near…" They mumble, excited and confused. Tsuchinoko grabs the girl by her hand and pulls her out of the bench, Sand Cat, confused, grabs all the food she can with her free hand and hides with Tsuchinoko behind a dark alley. "Why are we hiding…?" Sand Cat asks, but the snake-girl covers her mouth and gestures her to keep silent. Peaking from the edge of the alley, they observe not one, but three Friends run at top speed in the boulevard. Gray Wolf, King Cobra and Reticulated Giraffe flashed before their eyes, dodging people and store, the snake-girl is confused on whether they're running away or chasing someone.

"Hey, Tsuchinoko, why did we hide? Aren't you glad there are more friends beside us?" Sand cat wonders, stuffing her mouth with more food.

"I want to keep us undercover for the moment, the less people who know we exist on this world, the better," The snake-girl answers, carefully checking the girls have left and that is safe to go out, "We have lost too much time on the stalls, let's go to the alley already" she continues, Sand Cat follows her on silence, eating on her snacks.

The looks of the city change the more they walk, the conditions, the people and the buildings, each time more dirty, more poor, more suspicious. It doesn't take long before the girls reach the alley where everything started. Without sharing a word, they nod to each other and start inspecting the place, but there's just too little to use for information. Dirty and full of trash, muddy water and old, rusty pipes, there's nothing for them to use, not even a single clue showing that just the night before there was a giant Cerulean they had to fight. Their senses tingle once again, but this time Tsuchinoko doesn't need to say anything to Sand Cat, they both hide behind a pile of boxes and stare up at the buildings making the alley.

A figure moves over them, slowly walking on a rusty emergency stair, they hide as much as possible while trying to find out what was on that place, in the silence, an electronic tune echoes on the alley, the figure brings out a phone and puts it on their head.

"Tsuchinoko… That Friend…" Sand Cat whispers, gulping scared.

"Yes… I don't know why but… There's a Friend over us… and she smells like blood," Tsuchinoko replies on a low tone.

The figure continues to have a conversation on the phone with someone, and the girls stop moving and breathing, cold dead behind the boxes as they overhear. "Yes… No, the Cerulean is no longer here… another Friend possibly crushed it… No is just… I thought I smelled a Friend on the alley, but I must have just sensed their essence."

They look at each other nervous, trying their best to hold on their breath until the figure disappears on the shadows, the girls fall exhausted from containing their breath and stay silent for a couple of minutes, confused and scared. "Just what the hell is happening around here?!" Tsuchinoko thinks.

"And just when I thought you went crazy after saying we should hide," Sand Cat pants, standing up again and shaking her clothes, "What should we do from now on?" She asks, looking at Tsuchinoko.

"Let's go back to Ryuuzou's house, I can investigate from there, then we'll have to figure out another place where to stay after the funeral," Tsuchinoko tells her, stroking the dirt off her hood and walking out of the alley.

"Ah, that reminds me, you never answered me what a funeral was, Tsuchinoko," The cat-girl wonders, but the other ignores her once again.

As they convince each other to go back to the mansion, they find themselves lost walking in the streets of Tokyo, trying to find their way out of a suburb, now the smell of a Friend in the distance makes them react once again. Tsuchinoko breaths at ease when both of them confirm the smell is different from the one in the alley, but they proceed slowly and cautiously anyway.

They follow the aroma to a spark, in the dusk of the day; the scene shocks them beyond surprise. A giant Cerulean with the shape of an animal they couldn't identify was fighting a Serval Friend inside of a green, translucent box and a girl in school uniform was cheering her from behind, holding a phone like a remote controller.

"The girl with Serval looks really cute, how is that fashion called again?" San Cat asks to Tsuchinoko, peeking over her shoulder.

"Is called 'gyaru'… wait, that's not what should be worrying you!" The snake-girl groans, pointing at the Cerulean, "Look at that, that's not what we fought yesterday!"

"Now that you mention it…" Sand Cat comments and gasps impressed at Serval, jumping meters in the sky to avoid the fists of the creature and then strike the monster with her claws.

Hit, dodge, hit, dodge, the fight is continuous but calm, there's no sense of danger coming from the Friend or the girl, in fact, they seem to be enjoying it. The gyaru waves her hand to the cat-girl and taps on the phone, Serval expression changes as the aura from her Wild Charge takes another color and grows in intensity, the girl howls like a beasts while standing in all fours, Sand Cat and Tsuchinoko stare at the fighting absolute confused, Serval charges against the Cerulean and cuts it in half with her claws in one flash.

"Well, that's impressive…" Sand Cat mumbles looking at the other way.

"Really?! This is where you cool off?!" Tsuchinoko shouts, shaking her by the shoulders.

The girls follow Serval and the gyaru as they finish the battle and walk outside the park, in the outsides, Serval jumps over a short-black haired girl in the same school uniform, hugging each other, unable to hear their conversation, Tsuchinoko can only guess what are they talking, the gyaru takes the phone she was holding and gives it to the other girl, the gyaru waves good bye to them as Serval and the other girl walk away while holding hands.

In silence, Tsuchinoko tries to put together all the events that occurred that day in her head and figure out what exactly is happening, but she can't come with an efficient answer. After a couple of hours the girls finds a way out of the city and recover their way back to the mansion. They get to the house in the night, where the men of Ryuuzou are waiting them angry, ready to scold them, but Sand Cat's charming smile and Tsuchinoko's dominant attitude are enough to make them forget about what they did, the mob is controlled by the kind and rude side of the Friends with no time.

"Should we tell them about the Friend in the alley?" Sand Cat asks to Tsuchinoko, both wearing a red bathrobe in the room of the liquors.

"I start to explain them that when I don't even know," Tsuchinoko replies, annoyed, drying her hair with a towel, the girl walks to the table and serves two glasses of liquor, giving one to Sand Cat as the other shoves a biscuit inside Tsuchinoko's mouth, they sit on the couch and breathe deeply. "I'll investigate more tonight, we won't talk about them until I find something useful to say."

The door is knocked and the doors open, two men come, one pushing a cart with plates of food and the other holding a basket with their clothes. "M-miss Sand Cat, the food is here," one of the men stutters and flusters, lifting the lid and showing a small roasted chicken with other plates of meat.

"Yay, thank you Gajirobe," Sand Cat smiles wide to him, making the man blush even more.

"I-is Jajirobe, Miss Sand Cat," He tries to correct her, his hands shake.

"Eh, is that so? But I like Gajirobe the most," Stand Cat tells him, tilting her head.

"Then my name shall be Gajirobe from now on!" He says, bowing to her, his face red like a tomato.

Tsuchinoko looks disgusted at the scene and turns to the other, who jumps startled and with an awkward smile leaves the basket over the table, "We've finished washing and drying your clothes, Miss Tsuchinoko!" He shouts flustered.

"You take too long!" Tsuchinoko yells, slamming her tail against the floor, "Why did you take so long?! I hope none of you were sniffing in our underwear, you low lives!" She whips her tail again and hisses, the guy blushes even more while letting out some scared noises.

"We're all low lives compared to you, Miss Tsuchinoko!" He replies and shouts, getting as embarrassed as the other.

"Well said, now leave us alone so we can dress up," The snake-girl says while taking off her robe in front of everyone. The men gasps surprised and stare hypnotized, but Tsuchinoko gets so pissed at them for not leaving he kicks them on the face and throws them out of the room "If I ever need to say something twice, I'll kill you, you bastards!" She cries while waving her fist.

"Please don't stop kicking us even if we obey you!" The men reply on a blink, bowing to her as she walks nude to the doors, closing them on a slam.

"Aside from the mob of masochists… I could get used to live here, is a shame we have to leave tomorrow," Tsuchinoko says with a sad smile, putting her clothes back on.

"About tomorrow…" Sand Cat mumbles, still on her bathrobe, "Don't you think is time to explain me what a funeral is and where is Ryuuichi? I know you are avoiding me on purpose."

"Are you sure you want to know? You aren't going to like the answer… at all" The snake-girl comments while sitting back on the couch and taking a sip of her drink. Sand Cat doesn't answer, she just sits with her and stares deeply in her eyes; she takes her glass and gulps the entire glass down, wiping her mouth. Tsuchinoko sighs and scratches her head, she begins to slowly explain what death is, why Ryuuichi is dead and why a funeral was needed for him. Sand Cat mood drops the more Tsuchinoko talks, from sobbing to screaming and crying, the cat-girl was heartbroken by the thought of Ryuuichi, never coming back.

When Ryuuzou walks inside of the room, he finds Sand Cat sleeping over the legs of Tsuchinoko, with a sad expression and eyes red from crying, the snake-girl explains to him what happened. Ryuuzou gently strokes the head of the sleeping girl and walks to the terrace; Tsuchinoko moves the head of the girl over a pillow and follows the old man outside. Almost like a routine inserted on her brain, she hands him a tobacco and a cigar cutter, Ryuuzou smiles and prepares it, he puts the tobacco on his mouth and searches for his lighter when he hears a spark, Tsuchinoko was handing him the flame from the lighter, he smiles again and curves, lighting his tobacco and exhaling clouds of smoke. They converse over an hour on the cold night, sharing drinks and thoughts, Tsuchinoko asks him for a way to investigate further, Ryuuzou nods and guides her to his office on the second floor of the mansion, he also hands her one of his men to teach her how to use a computer and how to navigate on the Internet.

The next morning comes and Tsuchinko didn't stop to sleep, she stayed on Ryuuzou office all the night using the computer, she's only interrupted by one of the men of the family, who asked her to change clothes for the funeral. Walking to the main hall, Tsuchinoko, wearing a suit with different tones of black on, meets with Sand Cat, who was wearing a black dress and holding a bouquet of flowers, she was looking down and sobbing, the snake-girl embraces Sand Cat with both hands and gently rubs her back, the men guide them outside where Ryuuzou is waiting for them, the three get in the same car and set off.

"Hey, Tsuchinoko…" Sand Cat mumbles with a weak voice from crying, "Do we die too?"

Ryuuzou stares at them intrigued, the car moves on a different direction from the city.

"There's no registered information of any of us 'dying' before," She answers with a bad mood, looking to the window.

"Then are we immortals? We will never die?" The cat-girl asks once again.

"No, we can die, we just have never been on a 'life or death' situation," She replies to her.

"How is that possible?" Sans Cat insists, holding tight on her flowers.

Tsuchinoko sighs out loud and scratches her head, "In the game, there's a moment were Ceruleans always get us, they take the Sand Star of our bodies and we return to our animal form…." The snake-girl turns and cares the cat ear of the girl, she continues. "Just like that, we always get caught on another eruption of Sand Star, that make us Friends once again… just like that, many of us have been cheating death for more years than we can count, since no one of us can remember the memories from those cycles."

"Then that would be our own way of immortality," Sand Cat mumbles to herself, "But now I feel like we can die in this world…. Just like Ryuuichi."

"That's a smart comment from you, I have to admit it," Tsuchinoko chuckles, "I too feel we can die in this world… Everything is different from the Park after all."

Unable to continue the conversation, the girls keep on silence for the rest of the trip. TStop the car in front of an old, grim building where the funeral was going to be held, Tsuchinoko and Sand Cat are guided everywhere by Jajirobe and another of Ryuuzou men, different from yesterday, they behave and keep silent.

They're taken into a spacious room filled with people in black clothes, many of them old, when Ryuuzou comes in and sits, all of them make a row to kiss his hand and show their condolences for his loss. Jajirobe explains to Tsuchinoko who each one of the persons is and their relationship with the family, one of them results familiar to her. He also explains to her Ryuuichi's mother and wife of Ryuutarou couldn't accept her son's death, more than that, she feel burying a coffin full of dirt was an insult to Ryuuichi's memory. "But there's not a body to bury to begin with," Tsuchinoko thinks.

As the ceremony continues and the priest finished his procedure, everyone goes outside with the coffin, where is placed to be buried. The women and men walk to coffin to show their last appreciation, leaving flowers and roses in top of it. With mumbles of angry people asking why two girls in cosplay are in the ceremony, Tsuchinoko joins Sand Cat to leave her flowers, the cat-girl breaks on tears one more time, Tsuchinoko can just rub her back.

The ceremony continues fast, the sun sets on the darkness as the staff in the house serves the catering for the ones who still stay in the room, when the men of Ryuuzou leave the girls alone, the first thing Sand Cat does is to walk to a lonely, crying girl on a corner of the room, who is covering her face with a mourning veil, Tsuchinoko jumps startled and covers her mouth with both hands, she finally recognizes the girl, it was Ryuuichi's girlfriend, but she wonders if Sand Cat knows that too.

"You are Ryuuichi's lover, right?" The cat-girl asks, tilting her head.

The girl on the veil takes a deep breath and stares at Sand Cat in silence, "Ah, you're the cosplay girl… yes, I am, how did you know?"

"Ryuuichi always talked about you," San Cat replies, sitting on the chair next to her.

"Is that so? Although he never told me about being Friend of two cosplaying girls," She snorts a little and wipes her tears, "What did he say about me?"

"He always talked about how pretty you are… and how much he loved you," Sand Cat tells her with a smile.

"Is that so… it must have been embarrassing listening to that," The girl mumbles, her hands tremble.

Sand Cat holds on her hand and shakes her head, "Not at all, because he looked so happy when he talked about you!"

Tsuchinoko can't help but look at the scene with tenderness, and the girl, gradually smiling to Sand Cat's words. "Thank you… I needed that…." The girls says to her, laughing and crying at the same time. But for Tsuchinoko's surprise, the conversation change its tone and attracts the attention of other unwanted gossiping ears.

"Do you know how Ryuuichi died?" The cat-girl asks.

"Yes… they tried to lie to me but I know… Ryuuichi was killed," She gives her a sad smile.

"Then… if you knew who killed Ryuuichi… would you kill that person?" Sand Cat aks, people begin to mumble as they peak on the conversation.

"W-why you ask… I don't know if you're kidding or being honest," The girl stutters at Sand Cat words.

"Is just… I've been thinking… if I knew who killed Ryuuichi, just maybe, I would kill them for what they did," Sand Cat says, deeply staring into the veil, looking for the eyes of the girl.

Jajirobe walks to the girls in an attempt to stop Sand Cat from continue talking, but Tsuchinoko stops him.

"I see… you are a peculiar, honest girl, aren't you?" The girl says, not a trace of angriness is felt on her words. "Let's see… if I were to be as honest as you… yes, I would kill that person too."

In the instant she finishes that answer, Sand Cat takes her hands and holds them tightly, "Then let's do it!" She shouts, "Let's find Ryuuichi's murderer and kill them!"

"That is enough," a cranky voice says behind Sand Cat's back, it was Ryuuzou, everyone in the room was looking at the cat-girl with disgust, he palms her shoulder, "There's a time and place for these kind of conversations."

"I'm sorry, I took my eyes off her for a second and look what happens!" Tsuchinoko says to Ryuuzou, taking the girl by the arm and taking her away from the girl. "What were you thinking?! Does your brain doesn't understand not even the sightless of what is right and what is wrong?!" Tsuchinoko yells to her in the bathroom.

"Why are you screaming at me? Don't you think the same? Don't you want to kill Ryuuichi's murderer?" Sans Cat pouts.

"For starters I don't even know you were capable of having such violent thoughts!" Tsuchinoko hisses while slamming her tail in the floor.

"Then what do you want to do? Are you saying things are fine as they are?!" She screams back to the snake-girl.

"Of course not…! But there are a lot of things we have to solve first, like why a phone can materialize us, Friends, living beings by just pressing a button!" Tsuchinoko shouts madly.

"I couldn't care less about that!" Sand Cat replies.

The girls stare at each almost as if they're about to hit each other, Tsuchinoko takes a deep breath and massages her head. "Let's suppose we investigate who is behind Ryuuichi's murderer, how are we going to do this? We don't have money or a house, we don't have anything!"

"There is something we can do," Sand Cat replies instantly.

"What…?"

They continue arguing in the bathroom for another twenty minutes when they hear a man shouting from the room. As they peek from the door, the animal-girl sees a drunken man with a flashy attire of yellow color, a bottle of whisky on a hand, surrounded by men in suits who weren't there before, he was screaming at Ryuuzou.

"See? I told you this was going to happen! Why don't you hurry up and make me the first head already!" He shouted, taking a gulp from the bottle and erupting in Ryuuzou's face. The girls run to Jajirobe and ask him what is happening. The man in the ugly leotard suit is from a family that has been trying to take over the business of Ryuuzou and the family of the Nine Dragon Heads since Ryuutarou declined his position, and since that, Kazukichi, the drunk man with the horrible clothes has been pushing Ryuuzou for years.

"Kazukichi, there's no place for you here, we can have this discussion later," Ryuuzou calmly tells to him.

"Ah?! What crap are you sayin' you old bag? No way I'm waitin' one more day! Just do it here and now! The age of the yakuza you believe is dead! We are the bosses now, why that haven't drilled your head yet, ah?!" The man shouts and spits on his drunken rage, when Ryuuzou's men walk closer to their boss, Kazukichi's men draw their weapons, the atmosphere turns into tension in just seconds, everyone else stares scared at what will happen next.

A sudden shadow appears in the middle of the men, no one can reac fast enough at the speed of a small figure who poses in front of Kazukichi, Tsuchinoko glares at the man with shinning eyes, face full of fury. The snake-girl snatches the bottle of whisky out of his hands and kicks him on the stomach, making Kazukichi fly out of the room and break a desk in the hall from the impulse.

Kazukichi's men point their guns at her but Tsuchinoko ignores them and their yelling, she cleans the lid of the bottle with her clothes and silently chugs on the bottle until is empty, she lets it fall on the floor and cleans her mouth on disgust, "Urgh, I can't believe that asshole got drunk with such cheap liquor…" The snake-girl glares to Ryuuzou for a second before walking out of the room, and with Kazukichi's men pointing at her head with their guns, Tsuchinoko picks the drunken man by the neck. "I'm sorry to be the one who tells you this… but you aren't going to put your hands over Ryuuzou's family business," She tells to him and next she takes a phones out of her pocket, blindly typing on it and suddenly sparkling on a yellow light, Kazukichi's men are ready to shoot her, "because the first head is going to be me!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:** _The Tale of the Shy Girl and the Brave Moose._

The sound of mechanical noises and moans echoed in a room filled with exercise equipment, Lion silently stares at a digital clock marking five in the morning, spacing out and sipping on a thermos. A boy walks from behind of her and sits to her side.

"Want to go back to sleep?" He asked, drying the sweat off his face, panting.

She shakes her head, "Mhmn, I just don't feel in the mood for training today."

"Feeling gloomy?" Auron asks with a little laugh, bumping the back of his head with hers.

"Yeah, I guess I'm feeling gloomy," She replies, still looking up at the clock.

"We should go back to sleep," The boy insists, he gestures over his shoulder.

The cat-girl hands him the thermos and frowns, "You just want to skip today's training routine."

Auron gulps, caught on his intention, he cleans the lid of the thermos and takes a sip before answering. "W-what can I say, lifting weight is not my favorite thing to start the day."

Lion turns her eyes to the other side of the room; all animal-girls have woken up early and wear their track suits for warm-up training. On one of the sides, Golden Snub Noose Monkey and Oryx were chatting with each other while lifting dumbbells; African Wild Dog was over the treadmill, fruitlessly pursuing the Lucky Beast which was tied to the other side. On the other side, Brown Bear and Aurochs were competing with each other, both lifting cambered bars filled with six rounds of weights on each side,

"To be fair, just looking at them is exhausting," Lion says with a chuckle, she turns to the boy and sneaks her head over his lap. "Tell me Auron, was there a piano on your old apartment?" She asks while purring, the girl guides his hand over her head.

"There wasn't… what's with that all of a sudden?" He says, scratching the head of the shameless cat-girl.

"And there isn't any in this apartment either uh…" She mumbles with a disappointed tone.

"And I ask again, what's with the piano questions all of a sudden?" Auron insists, scratching behind her ear, the girl trembles instantly.

"I just… wanted to hear you play again…" She mumbles embarrassed in the lowest tone of voice she finds. The young boy flusters and almost chokes on his drink, Lion looks up to him, still embarrassed, "You don't play anymore…?"

"W-well, I played for a couple of years at a music school… but I never had a piano of my own," Auron struggles to say, taking a towel to clean his mouth.

"Wait, how did you learn to play the piano if you could only practice on school?" Lions asked to him, waving her tail, resting her head over his lap once again.

The boy frowns just like cat-girl some minutes ago, "Let's say that I spent a lot of time on that school…" He makes a pause and brushes the hair of the girl slowly, "It was a time where no matter at which time I went home… no one was there… there wasn't a reason to come home early."

"It was?" She asks, with a mug smile.

Auron smiles back to her and pulls her cheeks, "Of course, because now I have all of you," He blushes and looks aside, "Now I have a reason to come back home."

Lion pouts disappointed; she stands with her knees over the bench and pulls his cheeks, "Get a clue! You were suppose to say 'now I have you', bumbhead!"

"A-and what about the rest…? Hey, y-your nails are kind of sharp, you know?!" He struggles, unable to release himself from her hands.

"The others can wait! I should be your first priority!" Her face slowly turning into red, both from being angry and embarrassed as she vents herself by pulling his face.

"Stop, your nails are hurting me, augh! My cheeks, you're shredding my cheeks!" He screams, helplessly pulling her cheeks back.

The two give up when they realize they're being watched by the other girls, sitting back in the bench in silence, the sun begins to rise from the windows. "I… I still want to hear you play the piano again." Lion mumbles, scratching her head.

"O-of course! Is that is what you want, I'll think up something," He stutters with a smile.

As Aurora calls everyone to get ready for breakfast, the girls go the bathroom to shower and Auron does the same in his room. The boy mood rise upon the scene of her sister, smiling while having breakfast and chatting with the girls, something that years before, even when eating with him, wouldn't happen. Just like a morning routine, the girls group up in the drawing room to exchange the last manners of the day, Aurora's trio leaves for her usual patrolling and the sister lies in wait for her brother to take him to school today.

"Have a nice day my Lion King!" Lion tells him with a wide smile.

"Don't forget to buy snickers today… we ran out it," Aurochs says, whistling her guilt.

"Again…? Right, I'll buy some," He replies to her, scratching the back of his head.

"Hey, Auron…" Oryx mumbles looking down, she's rubbing her finger against each other, "If isn't too much… Can we play outside today?"

"Today?" Auron doubts, with an awkward smile he continues, "I'm not sure if I have time for that today…"

Oryx looks up slowly, she meets with Aurora's eyes from the door and jumps startled; the girl fixates on rubbing her ears. "Right… I know you're really busy with school today… I'm sorry for asking."

As the boy and the girls helplessly sigh at her words, Aurora tells him she'll wait for him in the car. In the moment she closes the door, Lion walks to him and flicks his nose, she gets close to him and whispers in his ear. "I never thought I'll have to say this to you… but do you know how it feels for us to ask for permission to go out every day?"

She was right, just like many other things have changed in their lives; they have also lost the free will they had before coming to the human world. Having to ask for permission to do the things they would usually do without wondering if they're allowed to move, make them feel powerless, it was still something that players like Auron have yet not processed. Aurora's Friends were different, since they all have a bigger sense of responsibility and practiced the noble duty to watch over the others and protect them; it was common for the two brothers to allow the girls go out on patrol as much as possible, especially because of their previous deals with Mirai. But with Auron's group, it was different, and repercussions started to hit under his nose.

The young boy tries to recall over the other kids and how they are taking care of their Friends, he then realizes he's not the only one who is still committing these mistakes, but there are others who have given more free will to their partners, outside of the shady 'missions', he has been treating his partners as little kids who need to be protected, when they have been the ones protecting him all the time. All of this takes him back to this moment; the boy takes a deep breath and turns to Aurochs. "Do you also feel that way?" The animal-girl flusters embarrassed and nods, looking to the other side, the boy feels mad at himself for his great carelessness, he moves to Oryx and slowly pats her head, "I'm deeply sorry for making you feel like this… we'll talk more about it later alright? I'll have my sister know of this too."

"Wait, is that all you have to say?!" The Lion girl pouts angrily.

Auron smiles and walks to the door, he then stands in the other side, leaving it wide open, "Oh just look at that, I forgot to close the door before leaving" He signs with a funny tone, "Maybe a group of girls would take this chance to have fun outside and… I don't know, maybe wait for me in the market's plaza after school to go back home together?" He hurries to walk away, embarrassed from his attempt to act cool, the girls too contain their laugh for his sake, but with a relieved feeling, they now have green light to leave the apartment.

We now go back in time for an hour, where on the other side of city, in a humble house in the suburbs, a different scene develops.

"THE SUN HAS BEEN UP FOR A WHILE, WAKE UP, THE DAY WAITS FOR NO ONE!" A woman screams inside of a messy room, where three girls were sleeping together on a large futon until the yelling made them jump up the ceiling from the surprise. "C'MON GIRLS, YOU ARE ALWAYS SO LAZY IN THE MORNINGS!" the loud one insists, opening the curtains from side to side, leaving the sun let illuminate the room completely.

"Just five more minutes…" A girl with long, wavy black hair whispers before going back to the futon.

"Is not even that late…" A blonde girl adds, checking on the bedside table before jumping in surprise, "KARIN, WE OVERSLEPT." She screams, shaking the girl who went to sleep again.

"Karin c'mon, you promised to get up early today…" The other girl says nervously.

"Let's just proceed like always," The one with the loud tone says, taking a deep breath and shouting again, "CHAMELEON, SHOEBILL, ROLL OUT!"

"YES, LADY MOOSE!" The girls reply with a firm pose, the two take the sleepy girl in their arms and carry her to the bathroom. Snoring like a beast, Karin lies in the toilet seat as Chameleon washes her face and Shoebill brushes her teeth, in synchrony, they dance in the cramped bathroom interchanging utensils, to get Karin ready, and then carry her back to the room where Moose is waiting for them with a school uniform. Just like performing jugglery, the throw the sleepy girl from one corner of the room to the other, changing her clothes, putting makeup on her and brushing and tying her hair in two long braids.

Moose gives the exhausted duo thumbs up as she lifts the still sleeping girl over her shoulder and takes her downstairs, Chameleon and Shoebill reply with thumbs and a smile back before collapsing over each other.

The Friend takes Karin to the kitchen, where she sits her on the table and puts a plate of natto in front of her; the smell slowly wakes the girl up. "Breakfast already…? I haven't even put on my glasses yet…" She mumbles while drying her sleep drool, realizing she's on the kitchen, she screams in fear of being too late, but Moose sits her back in the chair, it takes a couple of minutes to notice she's more than ready for school, Moose points at her chest and Karin looks her glasses are hanging in the bag of the jacket, she nods and proceeds to wear them.

"Thank you for helping me to get out of bed… again…" She stutters before taking the chopsticks.

"What are you saying? Nothing makes me more glad than—" but Moose was cut by a voice of a mature woman from the inside of the kitchen.

"You woke up late again?! I swear you have turned sloppier since they are here!"

Karin shrugs on the chair as she eats, Moose just rubs her back and gives her a comforting smile, "Don't let your mom get you, I know you do your best." She says before joining her at the breakfast. Five minutes later Chameleon and Shoebill appear to join them on the food, when a robust and fat man appears from the hall of the drawn room.

"Well the car is ready, let's go Moose, we have a lot to do today on the construction company!"

"Yes, sir! I just finished eating!" She shouts, clapping her hands to show her thanks and get a red bag on her back, before leaving, she waves the girls goodbye and pets Karin on the head, "See you later today, good luck on school!"

"Hah! She's almost like your bigger sister now Karin!" The man laughs, stroking his chin as he leaves with Moose, "Honestly, since you are here lifting heavy machinery is now so easy, you are more helpful than my own daughter haha!"

Karin shrugs again at his words, both his father and mother doesn't seem to think big things about her, Chameleon and Shoebill take Moose place to comfort the girl. When they're done with breakfast and Karin's mom scolds her a couple of times more, they meet with the girl at the entrance to say goodbye.

"We… we will be helping your mom on the flower shop today…" Shoebill whispers with a gentle smile.

"T-try to not sleep on class! I p-packed a good lunch for you to have later!" Chameleon stutters nervously, trying to cheer Karin up.

"Thank you girls… I'll take my leave now…"

It has been more than a month since Karin summoned her Friends into this world, after dealing with bizarre Cerulean fights with them, a blonde woman called Mirai went to her house and explained her the circumstances of the situation, and after having dealt with Karin's parent, they gave the animal-girls green light to stay at home with them. Coming from a humble but cheerful family, her parent would have accepted the girls either way. But with the passage of the weeks, is clear Karin feels lost as what is her role in the family, her friends integrated so well on it, she feels displaced and even their parents show it by their daily morning, passive-aggressive comments.

The young woman meditates this every morning in the train she takes to school, she looks at her surrounds and can't help but compare herself with the other passengers in the cabin. She imagines every one of them as people with more "importance" on other peoples' lives, or with "higher roles" in society and how probably they contribute more to society than her. Chameleon and Shoebill have taken a hand of her mother's flower shop business, in just a month they have helped more than her, increasing productivity. Moose from the other hand has been helping her dad on a construction company, surprised of the Friend's strength; he uses those muscles on her to move machinery, debris and even cranes around the facility, avoiding major accidents and injuries.

The train stops and she gets off, along with her uncertainty, another day of school elapses like any other. The girl doesn't stand with her plain looks and she doesn't have friends in the classroom either, Karin is left alone of her destructive thoughts that have been haunting her since the morning. Classes end early today, the classroom is left alone and only she stands in the door with a broom, a trash shovel and a powerless expression in her eyes.

"'You have to cover me today' she says, 'you owe me that from letting you sit with us the other day' she says, I swear…" She babbles angrily as she goes inside the classroom to clean, "One of these days I'm going to tell you a couple of things, you'll see." With her evil thoughts building up on her head, the girl takes the shovel and slowly throws the dirt over a desk, "I know I'll clean this later… but it feels nice doing it…" She thinks, when a boy walks inside the classroom and startles Karin, the dust flies everywhere, making a mess on the classroom.

"I'm sorry… You are Karin right? I forgot today was my turn for cleaning too, I hope I didn't let you made the entire job alone." He apologizes, bowing to her.

"Sweeping a broom is the least I can do…" Karin mumbles, looking down.

"Excuse me?" Auron asks confused.

"Nothing, nothing… You must be Auron! I just started cleaning so don't worry!" You can start by putting our names on the board." Karin tells him, biting her lip over letting her thoughts come out loud.

"Alright… I have something to do today, so if you don't mind I want to finish as soon as possible," The boy tells her, typing their names on the board and rolling up his sleeves after.

"Sure… you just want to get away from me 'as soon as possible' just like everyone else," she thinks as she looks at him with a fake smile.

In silence, the kids continue cleaning, Auron with a mop on the desks and Karin sweeps the floor again. Her thoughts grow louder as she accidentally kicks the trash shovel, throwing the dust all over the floor once again, meanwhile the boy keeps cleaning desk after desk, leaving them shinning clean. Auron ignores what is happening behind his back, but once a thought flashes through his mind, he turns. "Wait, Karin, what are you doing here? Wasn't today the turn of—" he can't finish the sentence, the girl is in tears as she stands, holding so tight on the broom she could break it. "Ah, just like I thought, you're getting bullied aren't you?" He frowns walking to her.

Karin shakes her head, unable to speak, she keeps crying. "Is something bothering you? Do you think you need to talk with someone?" Auron insisst, nervous she keeps walking with the girl when she gestures him to stop, she takes her glasses off and between tears and laughter she cleans her eyes.

"And here I was thinking that no one in this classroom would worry for me," She looks up to him and with a sad smile, she continues, "I'll take you up on that then… do you think… you can listen to me for a while?"

They sit on the professor's desk, and without any shame, Karin vents to the boy he just met, even though they have been studying together for months. Skipping specific details of her Friends, like her names and her origins, once she finished, a large pause is made by both, and only a forced chuckle of the girl breaks the ice. "Is fine, you know? You can say it… I'm awful." Karin says, waving her legs.

"Well, I don't think I can say that to someone's face…" Auron replies with nervous on his tone, stroking his cheek.

"Is funny if you think about it," she continues, "Is the first time that I talk with someone new… And all I did was to throw you my emotional puke."

"Is fine, really," Auron hurries to say, "I feel like you were on the edge already, something bad could have happened if you had kept those feelings inside for a longer time."

They smile to each other get down on the desk, with a more relieved air; the kids try to finish cleaning the room. "What do you think I should do from now on?" She asks, resting her face on the tip of the broom.

"'From now on you say'? It sounds like you need to stand up for yourself if you ask me," Auron replies, "your cousins seem to be holding you down, they have the right intentions, but you won't be able to grow if they keep babysitting you."

"Right? I think so too… but."

"But?"

"I kind of got used to get other people to solve my problems."

"Well, that's honestly awful."

In the laughs, a blonde girl knocks on the door. "Oh, is the ex-president," Karin says with a mark on the cheek from the broom.

"'Ex-president'? Is that how they call me now? How lame…" Nanaha sighs, "Anyway, Auron, I'm leaving now, if you really want me to do this favor for you then hurry up."

"'Favor'?" Karin asks.

"She has a little music studio in her house and I'm going to borrow her piano," Auron explains, gesturing to her.

"I see… as expected of someone rich—" she stops mid sentences before running her accidentally sharp tongue any longer.

"Auron c'mon," Nanaha insists, pointing at her wrist.

"Right, sorry, cleaning took a bit longer than I expected." He laughs; Karin looks down nervously until Nanaha leaves.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot you said you were busy," Karin mumbles and hurries to take the trash bin. "I'll go and throw the trash so you can leave the brooms and stuff on the way, alright?"

"Sounds good, thank you, Karin," Auron smiles and takes the cleaning utensils with one hand, "I'll be leaving now, talk you later Karin!"

"Y-yes, thanks for today… and sorry to bother you with that," Karin bows to him as the boy leaves, waving his hand.

Taking Nanaha's car, Auron is surprised by Rhino who is in the driver seat, as the Friend presses on the pedal Nanaha explains to him she has been practicing on the weekends, and her parents made the papers for her to have a license, the kids spend the rest of the trip embarrassing Rhino by telling her how skillful and intelligent she is in comparison of the other girls' growth.

Inside of the house, Nanaha takes the boy in the studio and shows him the piano; they sit on the bench and have a little rehearsal together. They perform almost in complete synchrony, filling the room with a tender melody that makes Rhino hum and dance on the sly.

"Did you get a good hand of it?" Nanaha asks, rubbing her hand, "Is kind of hard to stretch your fingers that much when you don't practice anymore."

"I was just thinking the same," Auron comments her, shaking his hand, "Still, it doesn't seem we have forgotten our practices, you're still better than me."

"No way, how can you say something like that? Even that time in Akizuki's cafe we both were just pulling something out!" She laughs and palms his back.

"I wonder if this is enough, though," The boy sighs.

"I'm sure she'll be happy with whatever you give to her," Nanaha tells him with a smile. Auron blushes and looks aside, the girl laughs and stands up, "I'll leave alone now, the door will be closed so you can record properly, and knock the door when you're done, Rhino will open it for you."

"Thank you again Nanaha, I owe you one," He bows to her and the girl leaves with her maid. Once alone, the boy takes his phone and sets it to record over the piano, stretching his fingers and breathing deeply, he positions his fingertips over the keyboard. "A song for her… Let's do it."

"Moose…?" Karin asks, surprised, the animal-girl was waiting for her in the entrance of the school, "When did you get here? Wait, why are you here?"

She scratches her cheek embarrassed, "Your mom gave me a shopping list for tonight's dinner… but I still get nervous when buying groceries… could you do it with me?" Moose explains to her.

"So even for her there's stuff she can't do," Karin thinks, faking a smile to her, "Sure, let's get with it so we can go home early," That is when a light bulb switches on inside her head, "Why don't we also call Chameleon and Shoebill? Let's have ice cream together!"

"Ice cream you say? Sounds good! I haven't got any in a while!" Moose agrees, clenching her fist.

"How was work today?" Karin asks to Moose, setting up motion out of school.

"Just like always… but you know? Lately I feel like something is missing." Moose says, frowning and crossing arms.

As they walk to the boulevard near their house and check on the stores, Shoebill appears flying with Chameleon on her arms, Karin surprised, gestures them to land on an alley where people can't see them just like marshalling. The girls group and visit the stores to check mark the items from the list and just like Karin promised, once their hands are full of bags she invites everyone ice cream and have them eat it on a bench.

"Won't your mom get angry at us for having desert before dinner?" Shoebill asks before munching on her cone.

"A little snack won't hurt anyone… and you're supposed to lick them, Shoebill," Karin explains her with laughing; the bird-girl has ice cream all over her nose. "The truth is, I wanted to talk to you about something and I couldn't do it in the house."

"Something happened? Was my lunch too salty?" Chameleon asks nervously.

"Did the braids I did for you today were too tight? Do you want to try another style?" Shoebill adds, gesturing with her hands.

"Maybe I've been waking you up too late lately? If that's so I'll try to be earlier!" Moose screams, biting on her palette.

"That's not the problem, well; IT IS the problem, but is not WHAT I MEAN!" Karin shouts, stomping the floor. The girls look at her in silence, "IS ALL OF THIS, I know you're trying to help me, but you need to stop doing it or I won't know what I'll do with myself!" She screams, some people passing by turning at the yelling.

Moose looks at the girls hold back from nature, they're afraid of making Karin yell more at them, which makes her angry and stands up. "What's wrong with a little help? They're doing it because they love you!"

"They love me too much! I don't need all of that every single day!" Karin continues, frowning and scaring the girls.

"Calm down before you say something you regret, Karin!" Moose insist, walking in front of her.

"You are one to talk, you are one of the reasons my parents look so down on me, you are always excusing me in front of them while you get all the compliments!" The girl doesn't stop attacking.

Moose, altered, holds her by the collar of her shirt, "Say that again, you shrimp, and here I thought I was helping you out, I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful!"

"Lady Moose, you can't hurt Karin!" Chameleon says, holding her by the waist.

"She won't be able to stand a hit of yours, don't do it Lady Moose!" Shoebill adds, her wings fluttering nervously.

"As if I care of how much her fists will hurt!" Karin screams, "If I don't break this cycle… If I don't do it… I'll never grow up!" She shouts and lands a clean fist in the face of Moose.

Unable to say a word, both Chameleon and Shoebill step back slowly, Moose remains silent but lifts the girl on the air the collar of the shirt, Karin doesn't tremble, not an inch, they stare at each other in silence, the mood grows heavy, but all of a sudden, Moose begins to laugh and everyone is confused.

"Now you went and did it! I'm so proud of you!" The girl screams, throwing Karin up in the air just like a baby.

"Lady Moose you aren't mad?!" Chameleon asks impressed.

"Of course not, I've been waiting for her to stand up from a long time ago!" She throws the girl in the air as high as she can before squeezing her tightly in her arms on a hug. "I too felt we went too far in protecting you and taking care of you, but I was waiting for you to do the right thing!"

"You knew how was I feeling and you did nothing?!" Karin asks and pouts, hitting the girl softly with her fists.

The day t advances and the evening reach its peak, between sunset and night, the city is covered with a gamma of orange and red tones, all over the place, colors which are reflected in the eyes of Lion and Moose, who stand in front of each other in complete shock. Just like Auron and Nanaha look at Karin, so does she, in the middle of a park they have met, and before any of them can say something intelligent, Rhino runs crying in the arms of Moose, the girl, still confused, holds her in her arms.

"Lady Moose! Is really you! I thought I would never see you again!" Rhino cries over her shoulder.

"Rhino, so you're here too! I'm glad you're doing well… but what's with that pretty clothes?" Moose asks while laughing, rubbing the girl's back, Chameleon and Shoebill join the family gathering, Aurochs and Oryx try to shake Lion back from her surprise and Auron and Nanaha still look at Karin confused. They sit on the park and begin to talk, as they share their secrets about their Friends, Karin is put today with the most recent success, without realizing, the girl has made two friends.

"So Erika, the girl everyone calls 'Kaban' and another girl from one of the classrooms also has Friends… Mirai did tell me there was more people like me, but she refused to tell me who" Karin tells, looking up at the sky.

"Same for us here, we have been discovering other players through the weeks, Mirai knows them all, but she didn't tell us either," Nanaha explain, looking at all the girls playing tag and laughing.

"We need to continue this conversation elsewhere… is just about time after all," Auron says pointing at the animal-girls playing.

"'About time' for what?" Karin asks, but her question is answered instantly.

The air changes completely and the girls run scared out of the park, Nanaha and Auron quickly hide behind the bench and drag the still confused Karin with them, only Lion and Moose stand on the field, and they're smiling wide.

"What do you think if we do it like in the old times?" Lion suggest with a little of evil on her voice, slowly posing on all fours.

"The 'old times' you say? Sounds good! Come at me with all you have, Lion!" The girl shouts, striking a pose ready to engage with the cat-girl.

"Karin quickly, set pvp mode with me!" Auron yells, he takes his phone as fast as possible and starts pressing buttons, the girl does as he says and takes her phone too, and the animal girls are quickly surrounded by a giant green box coming from the phones of the kids. "Now you can fight all you want and it will look like another game! But take it easy!"

"Oh, nice one Auron!" Lion gives him a thumbs up.

"But I don't think I can take it easy… My body has been itching for a,good fight for a long time!" Moose yells, jumping at Lion and trying to hit her with a fist, but the cat-girl dodges fast so she hits the ground instead.

"Like she said! This is it… this is what I've been missing!" Lion shouts, charging at Moose for the counter attack.

The animal-girls cheer and scream at their leaders fighting each other, the ground shakes and some car alarms activate by the noise and length of their combat, Karin asks if they should give them Wild Charge, but Nanaha points they would destroy the whole neighborhood as a result, they decide not to give them the opportunity to destroy the whole place and leave them fighting alone. The three walk to the closest Konbini and buy canned coffee, Karin and Nanaha sit together and keep chatting when Karin notices Auron has been quiet the whole time, holding a package in his hand, sipping on the can.

"What's with him all of a sudden?" She whispers to Nanaha.

"Ah… I guess he's jealous," Nanaha replies with a little laugh.

"Jealous?" Karin insists.

"You see, he and Lion…" She suggests, raising her eyebrows.

"No way… ah, right, and Lion and Moose have a longer story, must be hard." Karin sighs, their conversation don't get to the boy at all; he's zoned out on his own thoughts.

The night falls and when the kids walk back to the park the battle resumes on a draw, all the games in the park were destroyed, holes on the ground everywhere, and the girls, with scratches and dirty clothes, both lying on the ground with a huge bump on their heads from beating each other. Auron and Karin deactivate the pvp mode and the green box disappears.

"That was amazing…" Moose pants, laughing and rubbing her head.

"So it was… It has been so long since the last time we fought…" Lion agrees, turning her body to look at Moose, "I can't believe how much I missed you."

The girl smiles and blushes, she takes the hand of the cat-girl and holds it tight, "Me too! Fighting with you is the best feeling!"

"'Fighting' uh?" Lion laughs, flicking the nose of the girl with her free hand, "You sure haven't changed at all."

"Eh? What was that?!" Moose pretends a defiant tone, flicking Lion voice, the girls start hitting each nose while laughing until Auron and Karin appear; they separate the girls and hold them tight by their arms. "K-Karin? What are you doing all of a sudden?" Moose asks, blushing as the girl hugs her arm with all her might.

"I didn't mind at firs,t but this actually does bother me," Karin says, nodding with Auron and dragging Moose away, "C'mon, is late and mom is waiting for us to make dinner."

"L-Lion! Let's fight again tomorrow!" Moose stutters, waving goodbye to the cat-girl.

"Of course! I'll have Auron contact your girl!" Lion waves back to her with a smile; then turns to Auron, who is still holding her arm, "Cut it out," She says, flicking his nose.

With the street light switching on, Nanaha and Rhino say goodbye and walk in the opposite direction of Auron and his group. Going back to their apartment, Aurochs and Oryx recall the fight of Lion with Moose, praising and supporting her leader, but Lion notices the boy has been walking ahead of them for a while, she asks the girls for a moment with him and hurries to walk by his side. "I know when you're spacing out like that is because you're thinking too much," She tells him with a naughty smile, Auron doesn't reply, which makes her bumps his side and continue, "Do we really need to have a fight like last time again? C'mon, spit it out."

Auron flusters and looks to the other side, "Did… Did you have fun today?" he asks, scratching his head.

"Lots of it! Never thought I would meet with her again," The cat-girl gasps from happiness, "I swear I almost cried… but Rhine beat me on that one hahaha."

"Then… As expected, you will like to go… go back with her, right? I'll understand if you decide that," He says firmly looking at her, with a sad expression.

Lion gets pissed and slaps the back of his head, "It really bothers me when you're that dense all of you humans have so much doubt inside," She groans, looking to the other side, "Do you want me to go away?" Lion asks him, holding his hand.

"No, I want to stay with you," He answers on a blink, holding her hand tight.

"See? That's the sincerity I want from you every time this theme comes up," She laughs and rubs her face on his shoulder, "Is kind of nice knowing that you will toss away everything for my sake, though, you have a good heart, but you need just a bit more of selfishness." Lion says gesturing with her fingers.

Is in that moment when the boy brings the package out of his school jacket and hands it to her, "Here… I did it as you asked me."

"What…?" She takes the package, enveloped on a shiny paper, she goes hyper from shredding it apart with her nails, in the inside of the box Lion fax a smaller one, with a human gadget, "And this is…?"

"Is a dispositive to reproduce music…" He turns bright red, his voice shakes, "I used Nanaha's piano to record some songs for you… and you can listen to the every time you want with that."

"No way… You thought I was serious?!" Lion stops on her tracks, turning as red as the boy, "Why you did this?! I was kidding, get a clue! Geez, how could you do something so embarrassing?! Now I have to listen to it!" The girl says, taking him by the cheeks and pulls them as far as possible.

 _ **Little author notes:**_

 _(My biggest thanks for giving this project 700 views on the past three months, I hope to you keep with me until the end, for now, remember that all your comments are important to me and to read my profile notes since I update them weekly.)_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17:**_ _Wrangled on a Fox tail._

" _You are the first, the greatest… My Vision…"_

These words echo inside of Caracal's head from the dream realm of the physical world, waking up the animal girl. It wasn't particularly a nightmare _"But it isn't a pleasant dream either,"_ She thought. Getting up from a bed full of notes over her blanket the girl slowly walks between a disaster of office utensils and notes all over the room, she yawns and scratches her hair, the heavy snores of a woman caught her attention.

Mirai has fallen hard asleep over a desk, bags on her eyes, munching on a pen; a couple of cups of cold coffee over the table and gibberish written over many notes on paper. Caracal, on daily basis, would look at her with exasperation and disappointment; take the pen out of her mouth and whisper, "You dumb workaholic," before going out of the room. For the Friend, this was a routine, she would always wake up earlier than her partner as she always spends the nights working extra hours and falling asleep from burning out on the desk, unable to convince Mirai to stop this behavior, she just supports her from the back row. After taking a shower and dressing up, the animal-girl goes out and buys breakfast and coffee, with the sun rising over the sky, she would come back to the apartment and hit the blonde woman with a sandal, waking her up, and sending her to shower, Caracal proceeds next to pick up all the notes the woman made over the night, divide them on a tiny pile and a tall pile, lean on the bed and look at it with the same face she looks at the woman on the mornings while sipping on her coffee.

The blonde woman gasps loudly – NOT AGAIN – looking at the piles of paper over the desk, she runs with a towel on her neck, her makeup half removed, she takes the thin pile and checks it out, gasping over and over again, she turns to Caracal, holding tight on the sheets, "Are you sure this is the only progress I made tonight?!" She asks, Caracal nods apathetic, this is part of the daily routine too. As Mirai tries to solve equations and coding problems on her apartment after work, Caracal has learned about it within years of watching over her partner, everyday she would pick the notes that could be useful to resolve a specific problem on the office and put apart the giant rest of failed attempts Mirai did over the night. "At this rate, we won't get the new interface done this month…" Mirai cries as she falls over her knees in frustration.

"You are going to end deploying on Christmas again just to make your sister tell you to check for bugs in the middle of a party," Caracal scolds the crying woman, "And we will _AGAIN_ be checking on codes and miss Christmas."

"How many times I have to say I'm sorry for that day…" Mirai keeps sobbing like a little girl, the Friends sighs and makes the woman chug on the cup of coffee she brought.

"You need to wake up already, your face is a mess and we get off in twenty minutes," Caracal insists, reaching levels of despair on her tone as the woman slowly swallows her drink like a baby bottle.

Like following a script, Caracal continues to move and anticipate Mirai's actions, she starts the car just at the moment to woman comes out of the apartment with hands full of carpets, cutting her from saying, "Are you still not in the car?" On a nervous tone; the Friend continues and acts by her own, she takes the driver's seat and takes Mirai to the city so she doesn't get late to work. "Eat, clean your face, make up," Caracal would mumble to Mirai as she drives so the woman does as she says while still checking papers and writing notes. Stopping on a red light a familiar smell calls the animal-girl attention, worried she gazes on the street, a particular couple of middle school girls have the unmistaken stench of Friends all over them, Caracal shakes the shoulder of her partner, but she's so deep on her own thoughts she drives the hand of the girl away – shh, I'm need to focus – Mirai mumbles, Caracal looks at the girl walk to the other side of the street, from right to left, join a group of kids and keep walking to a near school on the place, the animal-girl decides to keep it to herself and use it on her to punish her partner for not listening to her later.

"Ah, they're at it again," one of the boys in the group of kids groan as the couple of girls run and separate from the group, one chasing the other. "When Satonaka will stop bullying Hikari and push her to do her dumb contests?" says another girl, the group agrees with them.

"Sacchan, I'm not in the mood for this today!" The little girl being chased screams, running away like a horse.

"You are not getting away this time Hikari, and stop calling me _'Sacchan'_!" The other screams back, jumping and running to catch the other.

The bell rings as all the kids walk inside of the school, on the classroom; everyone gets on their seats, but Hikari and Satonaka keep fighting regardless, yet it seems the other kids are so used to this they won't pay attention to them anymore.

"Leave me alone, I'm darn tired of your duels and contests," Hikari complains, pushing away the face of the girl with a book.

"This fight isn't settled yet, I have to be the winner!" Satonaka mumbles on her unworthy efforts to reach the other girl.

Building up strength, Hikari pushes the girl away and breaths on relief, she saves the book back in her pocket and sits on her place, waiting for the class to start. Satonaka in the other, stands and wipes her skirt, with anger, she walks back to Hikari, who sighs frustrated. "Sacchan you were so cool before, what happened?" Hikari says, the kids on the classroom laugh overhearing the conversation.

"Humph, I've always been cool, not like you, pleb!" Satonaka shouts, waving her hair with a sassy smile, "And I've told you many times to stop calling me like that!" She slams the desk of Hikari with her hands.

"Sacchan I'm tired," Hikari pouts.

"I don't care, and is Sa-to-na-ka," She insists, ticking the desk with her polished nails. "We are going to have another duel today, this time, I'll be the winner," She proudly finishes, looking down at Hikari with condescendence.

"Would you and your expansive fake nails leave my desk alone?" Hikari groans, slapping Satonaka's hands away –how you dare to call them fake – hurries to answer Satonaka, but Hikari interrupts her. "Fine, I'll accept your duel again… and I'll win, again."

" _Is always like that,"_ A girl who is overhearing them whispers to her group, _"Sacchan has been calling her again and again for them so called duels and it seems she has been losing all of them."_ Satonaka gasps angrily, hearing the gossip, Hikari shrugs with a sassy smile.

"What are they even fighting for? They were such nice friends before," A boy comments, they look at each other eyes for a second, blushing and with angry faces, they pout and look away from each other, the class starts and the fight is put on hold.

Skating on a small mail cart, Caracal delivers package after package on a cramped office level with narrow hallways made with cube walls that separate each employee's desk from each other. Talking with everyone, giving good morning to their office-partners and delivering the mail, the animal-girl feels a bit at peace with herself before leaving the floor on the elevator and press to go for a higher level. The environment changes, Caracal feels the heat from all the computers working on the floor and the servers in the corners, once again the animal-girl delivers and receives mail with a smile before going back on the elevator. The environment changes once more, the sounds of multiple phones ringing disappear along with the noise from the employees; cheap elevator music in the background fills the void and remains the calm, giving the place a classic feeling of class division. She opens the first door and finds Mirai writing numbers on a whiteboard, the place is full of papers everywhere just like their room, the woman, however, is all dressed up, her hair brushed and her face glowing, clean and stylish, making her morning self a ghost of the past, Mirai receives the girl with a smile as she closes the door.

"Feeling better, uh?" Caracal lets out with a sarcastic tone.

"Thanks to you, of course," She replies instantly, bowing as an apology.

"So, how is it going? I just finished my rounds down there, I can help you if you need it," She waves her tail while starting to pick up the sheets on the floor.

Mirai bites her pen with a smile full of shame, "Well, unless you have the key for a better brain this new interface will be the next Christmas delay of this year," She scratches her head in frustration.

"First of all, normal people write their work on the computer, have you heard of 'unsettled coding'? I mean, this is a mess," Caracal tells her pointing at the whiteboard with both hands.

"I know, you are tired of transcribing what I do, but this is how I work." Mirai says, taking Caracal picked up the notes and sitting on the chair. "I need more time or miracle."

"That is what takes me to the second point," Caracal interrupts her, picking up the phone on the desk and handing it to Mirai, "Why not just tell the Director, she may be the boss but she's still an employee."

"My sister has her own stuff to worry for, Caracal," Mirai says, taking the phone and hanging it up when it almost instantly and for their surprise, rings, startling them out, "Director" was written after the number who was calling.

"Speaking about the devil," Caracal sighs and laughs.

"You were the one who summoned her," Mirai picks up the phone nervously; taking a deep breath she places it on her ear. "Yes?" She asks, and after spending two minutes on silence, looking at the window, she hangs up, "she wants to see us for the check up, Caracal, bring the papers for me." Her tone changed and the eyes of the animal-girl turned serious for a moment.

Mirai stands up and goes to the elevator Caracal quickly pulls a tablet from inside her desk and hurries to meet with the woman. "What about the papers?" Mirai asks surprised.

"Everything is digital now, old lady," Caracal laughs, shoving in her face, she already placed all the information needed inside of the device, the elevator closes with them awkwardly arguing about how to save the next information directly to digital. The elevator stops on the highest floor; it opens on an empty reception room, which separates a huge office from the rest of the floor through a crystal glass, the couple of women walks to a digital screen attached to the door and presses a numeral password to enter inside of the place. A woman is silently typing on a laptop in the center of the room, her face and movements are similar to Mirai, yet her hair is so short it doesn't even cover her ears, she gazes upon the girls and slowly stands up, her presence is strong and mighty, it was a person hardly easy to compare with her sister besides physically.

"Mirai… Vision, welcome," The woman says, her tone is stronger than her sisters'.

"Director, I've told you many times that I'm not fond of the 'vision' name," Caracal drops uncomfortable, crossing her arms.

The woman gets up from her chair, laughs strongly and strokes the head of the animal girl, "Well then, if you want me to call you by your name… how about you use mine?"

"I… can try…" Caracal stutters, a bit grossed out. "Un… Unme" She hardly forces it, sticking out her tongue, "Is just… Mirai and Unme, your mother didn't have a rough time blessing the two of you with such names."

"Hey, more respect to our mom!" Mirai hurries to shout and scold the animal girl, but Unme just laughs, rubbing her tummy.

"My dear Vision has grown too used of this world, haven't you?" She wipes a tear out of her face and tries to build back her composure "Why don't we get back to business? I need your latest report about the Alfa Cerulean situation," She says while walking back to her desk, where she presses a couple of buttons; mechanical curtains start to cover the floor windows', submitting the room in darkness until a projector is switched on, lighting a wall and syncing with Caracal's table, the Friend looks cautiously around the place, as if she's waiting for someone to show up. "She's not here yet Vision, I sent her to attend some meetings for me, rest easily and continue with your report," Unme tells her with a naughty laugh.

"So-sorry Director… I'll start," Caracal answer nervously; she and Mirai stands besides of Unme and begin by opening an archive showing pictures of familiar faces, both Friends and humans. "We have acknowledged so far 10 different players who have received 'the bug' of the game with their Friends being physically materialized on this world instead of the hologram version which…" She stops on her speech, the couple of girls in the morning flash on her mind all of a sudden.

"Something happened?" Unme asks, stroking her cheek.

"I just bit my tongue," Caracal answers with a serious face and continues, "With the 10 users; we have a total of 25 Friends including us who possess a physical body beyond the capabilities of the original program," She pauses and looks at Unme.

"Twenty-five, huh, although I wouldn't dare myself to call any of you as 'bugs'," The Director tells to her and gestures the animal-girl to continue. "How are they doing?"

"That's just the way we decided to address our singularity," Caracal bitterly says and tries to resume, "The 25 singularities present all optimal health conditions and physical differences to humans, excelling on physical and sometimes mental activities, showing to be able to surpass normal human abilities whenever they feel like to. They also show independence of thought and free will, all conditions that wouldn't be seen in the hologram program," Caracal pauses and looks at Unme with a daring expression, "This is what happens when you use a code you didn't build in our program."

" _Hey, cut it out Caracal,"_ Mirai whispers nervously.

"But I don't regret using that code gave you life, my dear vision," Unme answers calmly without paying much attention to her animal-girls intent to taunt her. "Let's proceed with the Alfa Cerulean extermination program."

Mirai bows apologizing as Caracal changes the presentation in the projector, the long hair blonde sister is up to spoken this time. "The ZAP team leaded by the member of the Tokyo Police Station Aurora, her little brother and the other two members has shown excellent progress using and exploiting the capabilities of the Zapper Action Projectile to deal with the problem of the Alpha Ceruleans. However, the Alpha Ceruleans keep appearing as we still can't find the source of their reproduction through the existing program on the game."

"What about Mirai's spoiled girl?" Unme says, turning back to her as the curtains are switch open and the projector is put off, "That girl and her Serval would be of so much help, we could even stop wasting our money updating the ZAP program."

"Kaban is not up for the task, sister," Mirai instantly answer seriously, "Is true that Primal Charge has shown more effectiveness when it comes to fighting Alpha Ceruleans but we can't just put a single girl to deal with all this problem!"

"Vision, you know more about this, can you explain to me why is my sister so overprotective over a single high schooler?" Unme groans as she looks at the Friend waiting for an answer.

"The girl on question has been put over situation that have leave emotional and physical scars on her as we have found she has been cheating on our deal by making her Friends control Serval and do her battles in her place," Caracal explain while Mirai crosses her arms, holding her fury "This girl in particular has been traumatized by the encounters of the Alpha Ceruleans and the damage they're able to do… honestly, we are lucky she's not dead."

"Well, is not like we can really be sure Alpha Ceruleans can kill humans," Unme shouts on a laugh, the other two just look at each other in disbelief. "I know, don't be like that, I'm aware of the case of our disappeared player, but by what we care, that guy probably dropped his phone out of fear… must be back to his usual life as we speak, don't you think?" The Director finishes with a smile; something in her words doesn't entirely convince Caracal. "Well, I'm glad everything is running somehow smoothly, I too have an update on our current Cerulean problem."

"An update, have you been working on something?" Mirai asks with hope in her voice, "Do you mean you solved the problem for the new interface?!"

"You wish!" Unme laughs and Mirai drops knees on the floor, heartbroken.

"No, you see, is something more delicate… Good timing, she's here to tell you about it," The woman gestures the entrance of the office, from the outside, the sound of a hand typing on the screen of the door can be here, the crystal door opens wide and a Friend figure goes inside, Caracal instantly makes a face of utter disgust as a White Fox Friend slowly walks, slowly moving her hips on purpose and sitting over the corner of Unme's desk, the Friend would shamelessly lean over and caress the face of Unme.

"Good morning Director, your angel has come back," She speaks with seductive and feminine tone, giving a small kiss on the cheek of the woman.

Unme, used to the Friend, caress the face of the girl slowly and smiles, "My kinky White Fox, you need to stop doing that while we have visits over!" She laughs, the other laughs back, Mirai and Caracal are trapped on the second-hand embarrassment of their lovey-dovey idly chat.

"Ehem!" Mirai coughs, flustered because of the scene.

"Ah, is the Director's sister and Caracal, what brings you here?" White Fox says in her sassy tone.

"I brought them here so could tell them about the spy," Unme gestures with a serious face.

"Wait, a spy…? In our company?" Mirai asks with a worried expression.

White Fox shrugs and shakes her head, "In your ZAP team, recently in one of your meetings with your Alpha Cerulean extermination team, someone went to our underground levels and took confidential archives of the Cerulean incidents, we are currently looking in the city waiting to find the information lost, but we are sure one of your members is betraying us."

The four stay in silence for a couple of minutes, the idea of someone messing more with the problem of digital creatures taking life and attacking humans was unthinkable, yet the awkward atmosphere is broken by more awkward situation, as White Fox leans on Unme once again and sticks her tongue deep inside of Unme's ear, making the woman shamelessly moan of pleasure.

"I… I think is time for us to go," Mirai manages to spit out with her face red, bright in shame, she takes Caracal by her hand and pulls her away from the office, as they run to leave the place before something else happens, with disgust but somehow unable to look away, Caracal observes the scene. As Unme slowly closes her eyes and moans, the White Fox girl slowly opens the first two buttons of her shirt to move her hand inside her clothes. "You… _need_ to stop doing this when we have visits."

White Fox doesn't answer immediately, she just laughs and slowly tossing away everything on Unme's desk, she rests over it, with a naughty smile and taking off her tie, "Well, weren't you the one who say that 'desk sex' with me is the best?"

"Oh you little tease," Unme shouts, jumping over the Friend and kiss her neck, making the fox-girl moan loudly before the elevator doors can close and save the other two girls from watching something more.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, just…" Mirai repeats, still red, covering her face with both hands and letting out little screams.

"Why are those two always so gross," Caracal mumbles, slowly massaging her head and breathing deeply, "They always have to make out in public it tires me out."

"Do you find it gross because is two girls…?" Mirai asks, still with her face covered.

Caracal blushes and looks away, "Is not that, I find it gross because they're gross, are they really in love? For what I care they're just horny for each other."

"W-well… my sister has always been a passionate person," Mirai tells the girl, slowly regaining focus. "Different people express their love differently." She says with a tone of proud of her voice.

"Last week the 'different people' you are trying to defend almost had sex in the conference room," Caracal insists, angry of Mirai excusing her sister.

"W-well, you know people like a bit of voyeurism—"

"We were having a conference Mirai, in top of it in the executives presence," Caracal shouts stressed, interrupting the woman from keep trying to save her sister actions.

"… I'll talk to her about it," Mirai apologizes once again as the elevator opens back on her floor. "I know, what if we go have lunch outside today, my treat!" the woman tells her while clenching her fist, "That will help you from washing the image out of your mind right?"

Caracal snorts and smiles, stroking her head, she feels bad for making her partner worry, "Eating outside sounds nice… the weather today is good for it."

"Is decided then, let me wrap things up on my office and we'll go out," She says with a cheerful tone, marching to her messy office full of notes.

The animal-girl quickly reacts to Mirai's last comments, as she peeks from outside of the door and sees the blonde woman look at the whiteboard and nervously going back to write about it. "Oh for the love of God," Caracal yells in exasperation, gesturing to the sky with her hands and hurries to walk inside of the office, "if you go back to that we will never get lunch that way!"

After fighting the workaholic woman and her natural instincts, the two get out of the building for her lunch. In public, Caracal would hide her tail inside her skirt and wear glasses and a hat to hide her unique eyes and ears of the rest of the people, as they walk and discuss over where they should eat today, a smell on the air catches the animal-girl attention just like in the morning. One of the girls in the morning, wearing a short side-tail is blindly running in their direction, crashing against the women and making them trip. The little girl picks up her bag and quickly stands; Caracal takes the chance to sniff the girl; another fragrance is mixed with the Friend smell, making Caracal's mouth water

"I'm sorry I tripped on you!" The little girl bows while frowning, she seems agitated, "Is just… If I don't hurry up… Satonaka will find me, I have to go!" The hasty girl sets off once again and disappears on the crowds of the city.

"Kids of these days… all troublemakers," Mirai sighs while wiping her skirt, "Caracal, what happened? Did you get hurt? Here, let me give you a hand," She says and helps the other to stand back up.

Caracal doesn't answer, she just holds on her growling tummy and she slips back the drool on her mouth, "Japari buns… I'd like to eat Japari buns today." She mumbles, massaging her tummy.

"Ah… We talked about this, Caracal, Japari buns don't exist in this world." Mirai tells her with a sad tone, slowly petting her head.

"But I'm sure that the girl had…" She stopped mid sentence, if she were to tell Mirai right now of the girls, she wouldn't be able to use them on her favor later.

Meanwhile the blonde woman just looked at her with pity, unable to fill her partners desire to feed her with a non-existent food on the human world, she hits her hands together as if an idea flashed through her mind, "I know, let's have Okonomiyaki today!" She grabs the still dizzy animal-girl and drags her to the commercial street, Caracal on the other side watches the girl disappear on the outsides of the city popular streets and get into an abandoned area with the delicious treat on her bag.

Hikari runs away from the multitude and the noise and jumps over the fence of an industrial, abandoned zone, poor on vigilance and safety, dangerous for a girl of her age, she adventures herself in the depths of the place, where the weed grows tall and the mark of human's development slowly disappears. The girl walks down a small river until she meets with a rustic house made of wood tables, with a small fire on a side.

"I'm here, girls, I brought today's food!" She shouts as she jumps the river to the other side where the house is, she kicks the door open with a wide smile, "Honey, I'm here!" She shouts once again, inside of the hand-made house, she meets with a Humboldt Penguin Friend and a Rockhopper Penguin Friend, the two smiling wide watching the girl appear and raise on her hands the provocative Japari bun out of her bag.

"Yay, you really did it!" Hululu yells out of happiness, she flashes to the young girl and takes the bun with her mouth, "You're the best Hikari," She mumbles while munching on the bun with a beast-like hunger.

The girl smiles, embarrassed and takes another bun out of her hand, giving it to Rocker, "For you, I brought plenty so be sure to eat until you're filled, that 'Japari Café' place is great, can't believe they had actually Japari buns!"

"Eh, is Hikari in home already?" A voice asks from outside, bringing wood sticks on her hands, Emperor Penguin appears and gasps surprised, dropping the sticks on the ground as Hikari hands her a Japari bun. The four would sit in a charming silence, devouring the bread with vegetable filling together, talking about how their day has been.

"Aren't you getting cold… ?" Hikari asks, looking aside, with a sad tone with guilty on it, "We are getting on the winter season so is going to get colder eventually… I'm not sure if this crappy house will be enough… I'm sorry," She holds on her legs depressed, the Penguin-girls look at her helplessly. Hikari has been doing her best over the past month to take care of the girls, finding money and food for them, she build them a small house in the abandoned zone so they could live in there, as the idea of her mother accepting three random and unknown girls wearing weird clothes and asking to live with them was something Hikari knew wasn't going to be possible, plus she has been sick worried of them since as a girl, she barely has the means to feed them properly , Hikari has been saving all her lunchs for them and saving money to now and then buy them something more proper for the three Friends, yet is not enough, and that fact has been haunting her more and more as winter draws near, the penguin-girls are no strange of the girl thoughts.

"It'll be fine, w-we are penguins after all!" Emperor mumbles, asking Rocker help with her eyes.

"Yes, Hikari is going to be fine, we are better on the snow and ice, this warm weather is the one giving us trouble!" Rocker shouts, clenching her fists.

"I'll be fine as long Hikari keep visiting us every day," Hululu adds with a smile, taking another bun from the girls' bag, "These ones are too good though, I'm glad you could buy some."

Hikari breaths deeply, containing her desire to sob and smiles to her Friends, "Yes, the owner of the place is a cool big sis, she even gifted some more just from visiting her place, I think she has Friends like me!"

"As expected, that would explain why a human knows how to make Japari buns," Emperor says while stroking her chin. "Ah, I should go watch the fire," She remembers and gets up, taking some wood sticks and going out of the house.

"Hululu, Rocker, did you do your homework yesterday?" Hikari asks, standing with arms crossed.

"Human homework is boring," They answer in unison, Hikari gets mad.

"But how are you supposed to learn to write and read if you don't practice the kanji?!" She asks defiant.

"Human homework is boring and too difficult," They answer together once again, even Emperor penguins who shouts from outside, Hikari gasps beaten by the reluctantly desire of the Penguin girls to learn.

"Hikari… They're here again," Emperor tells her from a window and Hikari jumps startled.

"Oh gosh darn it not again, I thought I lost her," She groans while walking outside of the house.

"Yay, yay, Gen and Princess are here!" Hululu yells happily, dancing out of the house.

"I don't think there's a point of hiding from Satonaka since she already knows where we live," Rocker adds with a sarcastic laugh as she joins the others for their daily meeting.

"Hi-ka-ri, I've come to our duel as promised, I hope you're ready to lose muahahaha!" Satonaka screams from over a small hill with a devilish laugh, with her a couple of Penguin Friend stand, waving with a happy face, Satonaka has brought with her Gentoo Penguin and Royal Penguin.

"Princess, Gen!" Hululu jumps to the arms of the girls for a welcoming hug, "What did you brought me; c'mon, what did you brought me?" The girl would squish her friends on her arms until they give her something to stuff her mouth with.

"You never change do you, Hululu?" Princess pets her head while giving her a chocolate bar.

"Yay, choco, Princess you're the best," Hululu holds on it with both hands, giving her a grateful smile.

"We also brought snacks for everyone, let's go inside and eat it together!" Gen says with an energetic tone, the group answer with a loud shout of happiness as they walk and converse on their way to the cozy house. Leaving Satonaka standing alone on the hill; Hikari looks at her containing her laugh until the girl screams in anger like a beast, and Hikari, unable to contain herself anymore, drops on laughter.

"THEY RUINED MY ENTRANCE ONCE AGAIN," The angry girl lets out on a howl.

"It happens _every single time_ and somehow it never gets old," Hikari tells her while wiping tears from her face, "Just cut it out and let's go with everyone else, please? Forget the duel."

"As if," Satonaka says instantly, coming back to her usual self, "Today is the day, Hikari, today I'll win… and own your Friends!"

"Ah, they're at it again," Gen sighs as she looks at the girls throwing rock, paper and scissors on the hill.

"They never stop, well, is the mostly fault of our Satonaka, ah, thank you," Princess mumbles as Emperor hands her a cup with warm tea. The group of girls has sat in a circle to share snacks and drinks together.

"To begin with, how does Satonaka plan to 'own' us anyway? You can only posses three Friends, how does she plan to have five?" Emperor asks while taking some crackers from a package.

"I'll just own you, as easy as that!" Satonaka yells from outside, everyone sighs startled.

"As expected of our idol, she has a great ear," Princess mumbles on a small tone.

"Leaving that aside," Rockhopper jumps on the conversation, "We are all just support characters, are we really that important to fight for every day?"

"You are!" Satonaka kicks the door open with Hikari pulling her from the waist, everyone jumps surprised once again, "You are the unique and famous PPP, I need the five of you to support me from behind; a great-future-idol-in-progress like me needs a great support like PPP!"

"That's really petty," Hululu mumbles while munching her chocolate, everyone gasps at the airhead savage words, this time Satonaka holds her breath and manages to don't explode in anger.

"I don't care, that is what I want, I want all of you for it, but first," She says while hitting Hikari on the head, "Why of all the people, it had to be _you_ the one who owns more than half to PPP?! Give them to me, duel me!"

"You just lost rock, paper, scissors ten times just now didn't you? Even though I only picked rock on purpose…" Hikari says while rubbing her head, the Penguins sighs, between surprised and not of Satonaka failures to win, "That adds a total of 50 straight victories to me and 0 to you, dumbhead."

"I-is because I thought you would suddenly stop using rock, t-that's why I used paper all the ten times, you are the dumbhead!" Satonaka yells back, embarrassed of her mistakes she looks aside.

"Let's calm down a little, please?" Princess gestures to Satonaka, "Can't we just forget the whole idea, aren't you happy just with Gen and me?" She asks, worried for the little girl.

Satonaka looks at her with dead eyes without answering, she turns to Hikari and corners the girl, grabbing her tight from the neck. "Hey, why won't you just give them to me?" Satonaka asks, her tone changes, her expression too, there's violence on way of speech, but there's no expression of it on her face.

"You are pretty annoying today did you notice—"

"You… do you really think you can keep up with his farce?" Satonaka interrupts her; she looks at Hikari with dead fish eyes. "You aren't kidding anyone here, you are poor, your family is poor too; you don't have the ways to take care of them like I do, so why won't you give them to me?" The atmosphere turns heavy, the penguin-girls look at each other on silence, unable to know what to say or feel because of Satonaka's words. "I bet you are even stealing stuff from your home so they can more or less 'live' on this pathetic excuse of house, so why won't you just give up already and give them to me?"

"Sacchan…" Hikari mumbles, at the verge of crying.

"I've told you to stop calling me like that… you lost that right long ago, Hikari" Satonaka releases her and Hikari slowly drops on the floor, unable to raise her hands against the killing words of her supposed friend, when Hululu break on tears.

"I… I DON'T WANT TO… I DON'T WANT TO BE SEPARATED FROM HIKARI…" She cries, Emperor and Gen hurry to hug and comfort the girl.

"Just look at what you did!" Princess screams to Satonaka, "Weren't you and Hikari best friends? Weren't you supposed to be idols together?! Why are you like this, Satonaka!"

The girl doesn't answer, with a frustrated expression she runs out of the wood house, "I'M FED UP WITH ALL OF THIS" she screams before disappearing, leaving nothing more than silence and tears.

"Eh, what with that all of a sudden? 'What will I do if I find little kids are on danger because of us'?" Mirai asks, surprised by a Caracal's question, they're inside of a restaurant and the woman is skillfully adding different toppings to a huge Okonomiyaki for the two of them. "To begin with, we already have a handful of young kids who ended up in this mess… And I've never approved to involve them on our situation."

"Then why are they still on this?" Caracal insists, dipping her fingers on the Japanese omelet to remove the shrimp toppings Mirai put on it.

"Well, let me put it this way… would have you liked to have been separated from me so I don't get in danger?" Mirai asks again, fighting to add the shrimps back with the spatula.

"You mean that I would never be able to see you again…? That won't do," Caracal tells her while smiling, taking away the spatula from Mirai's hands, "I can't imagine a live without you, but those kids are different."

"How is it different, really," Mirai complains as the animal-girl takes the lead over cooking the Okonomiyaki, "Even if their friendship bonds were developed only in the game, they can finally feel the results of those bonds on the human world… and a lot of them are really attached to their Friends."

"Like Kaban and Serval?" Caracal asks with a sarcastic smile, feeling victorious as she removes the last shrimp from the omelet.

"Yes, those and everyone else, they all have endured and surpassed emotional thresholds, plus the hardships that have come from living together… they deserve to keep those bonds… I have no right to take their Friends away." Mirai sighs as she picks up the rejected pieces of shrimp on one hand and eats them slowly.

"But the more they stay together, the more the danger they'll be involved with," Caracal keeps her argument, flipping the omelet.

"That's why I'm asking why this theme all of a sudden? I thought we had made peace with this already?" She wonders while clapping the girl from perfectly flipping the omelet.

"Well, the truth is… since this morning…"

"Stupid Hikari, stupid penguins… stupid idol dream," Satonaka mumbles as she throws rocks on the river, venting her frustrations on the air, "There's no point of wanting to be an idol like this…"

"Ah, that won't do Sacchan, this is my favorite place to throw rocks," Hikari says behind her back, hands over her head, pretending composure.

"What are you doing here you dweeb, can't you tell I'm angry with you? Go away," Satonaka hisses at her and goes back to throw rocks in the river.

"Sacchan, I just don't understand… why you want to take them away when you want to be a solo idol," Hikari wonders, but the other doesn't reply back, on silence she joins the girl by picking up pebbles and throwing them in the river.

"Do you remember why we started all of this? Wanting to be idols?" Satonaka asks without looking at her friend.

"Yeah… it was because we wanted to do everything together, wasn't it?" Hikari tells her while pretending to throw a rock like a baseball player.

"And then you drop me out when you got your Penguin Friends to be a unit together, didn't you?" Satonaka shouts bitterly, pointing at Hikari with a rock.

"Well, you too are trying to be a unit with yours!" Hikari screams, pointing back at Satonaka with a rock.

The sound of the river fills the silence made between the two, slowly walking on the grass, the girls position and get ready for the imminent fight, a can floating on the current of the river hits on a rock and rings the bell for them to start, Hikari misses on purpose, but Satonaka hits her right on the forehead, the girl drops knocked out on the floor and Satonaka, scared, runs to aid the girl, but when she drifts on the weed and holds Hikari on her arms, the other just blows a fist straight on her face, throwing Satonaka on the river.

"They're taking their time to come back," Princess says worried, petting Hululu as she chugs on candy, "Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at her like that."

"Don't worry, we all apologize later to them, we have to find a way for them to stop fighting," Emperor comforts Princess, as they smile to each other.

For the fourth time today the door of the house is kicked open and a wet Satonaka goes in, dragging with her a dizzy Hikari on her back. The penguins scream from the surprise of watching both girls messed up, but before they can run and help them, both Hikari and Satonaka gestures them with a hand. "We are going to have a duel, join us!" They yell in unison.

The penguins are dragged out of the house, up to the small hill where the girls take two sides, confused, but willing to follow them to end their dispute, the penguins side with each of their respective girls on the hill. Both of them draw their phones and start typing on them, green lights start shooting out of the cameras on it and form a huge cube of green light, the penguin-girls look at each other, worried of what will come next.

"I know what you're thinking, but no, you won't fight against each other," The wet Satonaka groans, trying to get her hair out of her face.

"This is the coliseum mode, the five of you will team up to beat a Cerulean together, the team who owns most of the points from the battle will be the winner," The bleeding Hikari explains, wiping the wound on her forehead with a thumb.

"But we all are support characters… the damage we can do is barely enough…" Emperor tries to explain to the girls nervously, but their fighting eyes paralyze the poor like a rock, the other penguins carry their friends inside of the green zone, waiting for the game to start. A countdown on red numbers appears on the air, the moment it reaches '0' a Cerulean appears through the lights of both phones, and forms the figure of a giant snake, with its core rock on its forehead.

The battle begins with the giant snake-shaped Cerulean charging against the penguins, they all jump on different directions, the impact is even big enough to shake Emperor off and wake her up. Hikari takes the lead, taking control of Rockhopper with the phone, she manipulates the penguin to skillfully attack the Cerulean, but just as Emperor tried to explain, the damage they can do with their fragile wings is barely enough to weaken the monster, the fight continues regardless, Hikari and Satonaka are decided to let this encounter be the last of it. But after five minutes of jumping everywhere and uselessly hitting the Cerulean, the life bar of the monster hasn't even reached half of it and the amount of point both girls have collected are minimal.

"This is harder than expected, this… wasn't a good idea," Hikari laughs awkwardly, looking at her Friends all exhausted running away from the monster.

Suddenly the green box vibrates and everyone stops on their tracks, the phones of both girls turn their screens to black and the light from the cameras goes off, the box and the Cerulean regardless, is still on. Changing from its usual green color to red, the box starts to disintegrate in the air like it's burning out, and the Cerulean remains static, slowly acquiring a deep purple color. Afraid of would come next, the girls and the penguins slowly retreat, but it was in vain, the Cerulean starts to move once again, increasing its size and going berserk, the core rock on its forehead disappears as furiously slams its tail on the ground and makes a hole on the hill.

Emperor runs and quickly takes Hikari on her arms, saving her from being hit by the monster tail, Rocker hurries and hide with Hululu behind a rock and Gen and Princess carry the confused Satonaka down the hill.

"Just look at what you and your stupid idea did, Sacchan!" Hikari screams as Emperor carries her away.

"Me?! It was your size where everything went crazy you dweeb, and stop calling me like that!" The other shouts from down the hill.

The beast hisses and runs on circles around itself over the hill, constantly slamming its tail on the ground, looking to find the hidden penguins. Emperor, Gen and Princess look at each other with despair on their faces as they hear Hululu and Rocker scream scared as the tail of the monster is constantly near of hitting them from behind the rock.

"I'm tired of this; all of this is _your_ fault!" Gen screams, pointing both Hikari and Satonaka, "Fight, fight, all you do is fight and now because of you my friends are going to get hurt, why can't you just solve their differences already?!" The penguins cries and sets off running back up the hill, protecting her face from the waves of dirt and trash the beast is throwing by slamming its tail around, when Emperor and Princess appear from behind Gen and held her by her back so they can keep slowly going up against the attacks of the monster. Down the hill, Hikari and Satonaka group up, they silently watch the penguin-girls reach their friends and hug each other to comfort Hululu and Rocker from the fear of the situation.

"Sacchan… can't we just be more like them… ?" Hikari asks while crying, with her hand, trembling, she holds on Satonaka's hand. "Can't we just go back to wanting to be idols together?"

"But I thought… You were the one who pushed me away… how can you ask such a thing now?" Satonaka replies, crying in frustration.

"No, that's not it!" Hikari shouts while gesturing with her hand, "Is because Sacchan is so great… and I was pulling you down… I'm not as cute or talented as you, on top of it you're popular and rich… that's why I went away and wanted you to be an idol by yourself! I was only going to pull you down!"

"Hikki… you dummy…" Satonaka mumbles as she cries and laughs, holding Hikari's hands with both of hers.

"Sacchan you… you called me 'Hikki' again…" Hikari smiles wide while crying.

The both girls laugh to each other, in the middle of a disaster, facing a mysterious monster, the girls share and honest to goodness hug with each other as they on unison let it out, "There's no meaning of being an idol if it's not with you."

Their moment of reconciliation is quickly interrupted by a load of dirt that falls over them, made the uproar of the snake, the girl, covered in earth and still holding hands, looking at her Friends trying to keep it together and protect each other from getting hit by the attacks of the Ceruleans. Hikari and Satonaka look at each other decided, they recover their phones from the ground and run to meet with the penguin-girls. "WE HAVE AN IDEA!" The girls scream together, a different look on their faces surprises the penguins who smile warmly, looking at the girls holding hands.

With a loud whistle, Satonaka calls the attention of the Cerulean and stops it from getting any madder, the monster slowly approaches the group of girls and penguins, with clothes full of dirt they posture together and with closed eyes, the seven start to hum a familiar song together.

"If we can't hurt it, we can just paralyze it! With the PPP support combo!"

Waving her wings and shaking her hips, the penguin-girls dance and hum, with sync and glamour they match steps and movements, the floor, even starts to gradually glow on multiple colors, the shine slowly hypnotizes the snake into watching the girls and the penguins perform their dance.

" _I can't fly in the sky, but I have these dreams to be my wings!"_

They dance and sing, sweating, scared, but somehow happy and excited, the creature slowly calms down, unable to take their eyes off their performance, a visible electric current developments on the glowing stage as their steps take further on the end of the song, the girls look at each other decided and a jump, posing as cute as they can when they fall back on the ground.

" _Papa pipu pepe po pappo papa pepapu!_ "

A huge lighting rockets off the stage and blasts the creature with brutality, the snake is knocked and stops all movements; it doesn't blink or moves an inch. The girls breathe relieved and they all drop to the ground, tired and incredibly exhausted, Hikari jumps over Satonaka and hugs her by the neck, making the other fluster.

"We did it, we did it Sacchan!" She screams, snuggling her friend.

"Hikki…" She mumbles, taking the face of Hikari with both hands, she slowly and gently kisses the girl on the lips.

He penguin-girls scream on surprise so loud they turn to snake out of fear the paralyze wears off, but the monster keeps immobile. Hikari is left speechless, her face is red as fire, you can hear the blood boiling on embarrassment. "D-don't be like that!" Satonaka yells ashamed, shaking Hikari by the shoulders, "Don't let me hanging here Hikki, say something…! C'mon, anything! I just confessed to you, god I want to die!" She screams and repeats, covering her face in shame.

But little howling sounds make the sickly-sweet situation vanishes in the air with the same speed it started, they all look up at the snake, the monster is slowly back in motion, howling on anger. The penguins take the girls on their arms and run down the hill with the monster shaking their tails.

"Gosh darn it," screams Hikari, "I forgot the PPP combo only works for two minutes!"

"Why are all your plans this useless?!" Satonaka yells while being carried in Princess' arms.

They reach the bottom of the hill, but the snake surrounds them with their body, making them unable to escape. The beast hisses and menaces over them, the girls and the penguins have no more aces up their sleeve, they scream in fear, asking for help, but when the creature charges to devour them, its head is blasted off by a rain of shinning, yellow spears. From the other side of the river, Caracal stands, waving a ZAP spear on her hands, with Mirai follows her from behind, out of breath as she tries to get a hold of Caracal's shoulder.

"Well… that makes a total 12 users and 30 Friends singularities we are aware of," Mirai tells to Caracal with an exhausted tone as she sits back in the car, the woman just finished to take the girls and their Friends back to their houses, and so, she was taking a breath from explaining Hikari's mom the situation. "Now we have another monthly check to pay, lucky for us, the company is earning enough money to cover these extra expenses." The woman sighs and closes her eyes, massaging her forehead with the tips of her finger, "I can't believe we got two middle schoolers on this too… what a disaster."

"I'm… sorry for not telling you earlier… are you mad at me?" Caracal asks in a low tone, with both hands on the steer wheel and looking at the window, unable to face her partner out of guilty.

"Everyone is safe so it doesn't matter sweetie," Mirai tells her with eyes closed, gently palming her hands, "What has me this worried is the fact an Alfa Cerulean materialized from a Beta Cerulean and almost killed two kids and their Friends… is just… just when I thought everything was under our control."

" _That's why I'm here…"_ Caracal whispers, slowly getting serious, "I'm the Director's vision after all… I'm here to watch over the other Friends and protect them," She looks at Mirai, the woman opens an eye and stares back at her with a smile.

"That's right… the first Friend to be ever created… I kind of understand why you feel so compromised," Mirai looks up, then pets the animal-girl, "But that's why I'm here too, so let's do it together." She finishes with a smile and Caracal starts the car to drive back to their apartment, as they face a new problem, they at least can count with one thing, they count with each other.


End file.
